Just Friends
by yesfangirlingismylife
Summary: Tobias was the fat kid in high school. But somehow he was friends with the beautiful, popular Bea Prior. After a night that was supposed to bring them together goes wrong, he abandons his hometown with determination to prove himself. He comes back five years later as Four Eaton, an important businessman of New York, and not to mention handsome. Is the friendzone really inescapable?
1. Chapter 1

**Just Friends**

_Hi, my name's Reese. Yes, I am a girl. I got this idea from the movie "Just Friends." This is not solely based off of it; I just took a few scenes and aspects from the grand movie starring Ryan Reynolds and used Four and Tris in the situations. Mainly my plot. Just using the idea of Four being fat in high school and coming back later on._

_This will be a shorter story, maybe around 15 chapters or something like that._

Chapter 1

**-2009-**

"_Toby! I'm so glad you came!" Bea exclaimed as she hugged Tobias. Bea, the most popular girl in school, was throwing a party the night if their high school graduation. So, since Tobias and Bea were best friends, he couldn't _not _have_ _come. Everyone pinned Bea down to be the mean, popular, skinny, bitch of the school, when really she was the nicest human being Tobias had ever known. Well, there'd been Zeke and Shauna too, but they were not popular. They'd the social same status as Tobias, yet Bea, Tobias, Zeke, and Shauna were all inseparable at the time. _

_Bea began to lead him upstairs into her room, where he'd been many of times before._

"_Hey, do you mind if I talk to Zeke for a second?" _

"_Sure. Meet me in my room, alright?" Bea said with much enthusiasm._

_Tobias nodded. He walked over to where Zeke and Shauna stood._

"_Tobias, my man! Now is finally your chance," Zeke said, "to get out of the friendzone. Literally the worst place to be. Ever. Now go get her." He shoved Tobias towards the stairs. _

_Along the way he received multiple insults that ranged from "fatty," to "sumo-man," to "butterball." He always brushed it off. In the future, it wouldn't matter, because they'd all be working under him anyway._

_Tobias opened the door to Bea's bedroom._

"_Toby!" she hugged him again, and she hadn't been able to fit her arms all the way around Tobias. "Can you believe we graduated?" she yelled. "It feels good!"_

_Tobias smiled. He only allowed Bea to call him Toby. "Yeah."_

_The stayed in silence for a while. Their silences were never awkward between the two. _

"_Bea… can I tell you something I've wanted to say for years?" he asked._

"_Of course. Anything, bestie." She smiled._

_This time, Tobias wouldn't chicken out. He'd be brave, and not do the cowardly thing he always did. Run. _

"_Bea, I'm—" _

_They were interrupted by a loud banging on the door._

"_We're busy!" Tobias yelled._

"_I think you'll want to hear this note!" Tobias recognized the voice. Peter Hayes. Star of football, wrestling, and baseball. You'd have thought Bea and Peter would be perfect together, both being popular and all, but he was really a huge asshole. Bea and Peter dated for a while. Everything had been easy going between them. But Tris woke up one day and supposedly realized he was a dick. Which he was._

"_Oh my god," Tobias mumbled. Peter was going to read Tobias's note to Bea revealing his feelings towards her._

_Tobias ran out the door of Bea's bedroom, but he was too late. _

_Peter was already reading Tobias's thoughts on paper. _

"—_in love with you ever since the day I laid eyes on you." Peter tried to stifle a laugh. "Not as a brother, but something more. But I know you'd never go for the fat kid. You'd rather go out with someone who wouldn't ruin your rep. I understand. But just know that I will always love you, Bea," Peter finished. He laughed his ass off so hard he rolled around on the carpet. _

_Everybody was pointing fingers at Tobias laughing. He couldn't take it anymore._

_He ran out of the house, slowly but surely, considering his weight. _

"_Tobias!" Bea shouted. _

_He hadn't turned around or waited for her._

"_Tobias!" she cried, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Is that really how you feel?"_

"_Maybe," he mumbled as tried to catch his breath. "Why?"_

"_That was the sweetest thing I've ever heard in my life. I love you, too. As a brother. We're still just friends, right?" She smiled._

_That crushed him. But he understood. He was just a fat, loser kid who listened to softie love music that reminded him of Bea._

_He nodded stiffly. _

_Then, all of the sudden, black goop rained down and covered Tobias. _

_Tobias and Bea had been standing right beside the roof, and Peter poured all of it on him, not a drop landed on Bea._

"_What the hell?" Bea yelled. "Don't you all have something better to do with your lives?" She had tears in her eyes. _

"_Tobias!" she shouted as he walked away, but Bea never bothered running after him this time._

_Then, he stopped and turned around. He used a really stern voice when he said loudly, "I will show you! I will show all of you! You'll see what I become!"_

**-Present Day-**

**Four P.O.V.**

Four Eaton is the name. Not Tobias or Toby. Four. I run RedBulbs. It may be known as the biggest gym franchise out there. I'm twenty-three years of age. Yes, I run one of the biggest franchises in America, and I'm twenty-three. For the past five years, I've been living in New York, which, strangely enough, you'd have thought I'd gotten used to it for being there that long, but really just made my hatred for the super-city cultivate. This is why I'm at the O'Hare Chicago airport right now, on my way to Evanston, Illinois, an outskirt that's about thirty minutes away from Chicago.

Since I rail against New York City so much, I decided to come back to my hometown and set up a RedBulb there. There are typically 8-10 of my gyms per state. After Evanston has one, Illinois will have nine.

As I try to hail a taxi back home, I realize something.

I did. I have proven to all of them that I could be something important. I have proven that I could do something with my life, other than being a fat lard. Which, at that, I am not. I've beefed up to be a six foot four man with quite a bit of muscle, being the complete opposite of what I'd been in high school, even my personality, of sorts.

I finally come across a taxi.

"486 Highland Road, Evanston, please," I say.

"You got it," the man says as he programs the address into his GPS.

You may be thinking that I am a player because I'm good-looking now. But I'm not. Sure, I may be handsome, but I certainly am not a player, even though I slept with my fair share of girls just under a year ago. Sure, I may have a big ego, but that doesn't mean I'm rude. Sure, I've gone on a few dates, but nothing serious. Just trying 'em out I suppose, seeing if we could possibly ever have a future, which obviously none of them have been successful or I'd have a ring on my finger. Then again, I'm only 23 years old.

The cabbie pulls up to my new house. My dream house, ever since I was a kid. It's pretty big. Big enough for a family I hope to have one day to share it with. I take out my suitcase, the only thing I've brought, and pay the cabbie.

A few weeks ago, I had a mattress and a comforter shipped here and put into the master bedroom so I'd actually have a place to sleep when I got here. I go around the house, exploring. This house is perfect. There are three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a nice kitchen, and a large family room.

Since it's only nine o'clock, I decide to take a little stroll around town, maybe stop at the bar and grab a beer. Find some of my old friends.

So since it's July right now, I walk into the warm night air without a coat in my short sleeves and jeans.

As I saunter around town, so many memories come flooding back to me. All the things I did with Bea. Oh, so many great memories with her. The night I got gooped on was the last night I ever saw her. I hope she's not here. Harsh, I know. But the only reason I say is because I hope she got out of this shit-hole we call Evanston.

I walk into the bar as it thrives on this Friday night. I remain at the door, taking in my surroundings.

I immediately spot them. Shauna and Zeke.

I walk behind them, weaving through the crowd, and wrap my arms around their shoulders.

"Sir, I believe you need to lay off the beers a little."

Zeke turns to me. "Listen, bud, I can do whatev—holy shit."

"Oh my god!" Shauna yells.

I smirk. "Four Eaton. Pleasure to meet you." I stick my hand out.

Zeke swats it out of the way and he and Shauna give me a hug. When they pull back, Shauna asks, "Four? That's what you go by now?"

I shrug. "My name brings back too many memories."

"Why Four though, of all names?" Zeke raises an eyebrow.

"I've set up four RedBulbs in one day." I shrug.

"Really? Nice," says Zeke.

We talk for a little more, exchanging numbers along the way.

Due to Shauna's lack of speech, I notice her looking over behind the bar making faces and hand gestures at someone.

I turn my head only to see a blonde head of hair going down.

I walk over and lean just a little so my head can see over the bar.

Beatrice. Bea Prior. The girl who broke my heart. The girl who still has it.

I smile. "Bea Prior."

She stands up and blushes, wiping the imaginary dust off of her jeans. "Tobias Eaton."

"I go by Four now, but you can still call me Tobias." I wink.

"I go by Tris now, but you can still call me Tris." She winks back. She jumps over the counter and hugs me.

"Oh my god," she says into my ear, "I can fit my arms around you." She chuckles, as do I.

"Yeah. Things change," I say as we pull back.

"Yes. Definitely." She looks me up and down.

I arrogantly smirk. "Like what you see?"

She scoffs and playfully rolls her eyes. "So, how long are you in town for?" she asks.

"I actually just moved back here."

"No way! That's great! Where's your girlfriend?" She looks over my shoulder.

"Don't have one." I shrug.

"What?" She asks in disbelief. "Surely a hottie like you would have a girlfriend by now." She smirks.

"Nope." I still smirk. "What about you? I'm sure you get a lot of guys hitting on you at the bar," I point out.

She nods. "Yeah. No boyfriend, though. I only work here part-time. I'm going to college. If you're wondering why _now_, it's because I've had to save up. It's been brutal." She grimaces.

"I know how it feels. What are you going to college for?"

"Well, how about we go out to lunch tomorrow and you can find out?" she asks with a flicker in her eye. She fondles the hem of her tight shirt while still maintaining eye contact with me.

Then I think. Lunch? That's a one-way ticket to the friendzone.

"I don't know… Lunch?" I question. "How about dinner? I kind of need tomorrow to unpack, if that's alright."

She raises an eyebrow. "Fine. He's my number." She takes a permanent marker out of her back pocket and begins to write on my hand.

"Man, reminds me just of high school. Wait, nevermind, I couldn't get a girl's digits." I smirk.

She slaps my chest and rolls her eyes. "You—"

"Tobias!" someone exclaims.

Peter Hayes. He's already balding and is currently drunk. Also, he's wearing his letterman jacket, and a wife beater tank top, which in addition shows off his beer belly. Wow, he must be living the dream, just like he was back in not-so-good ol' days that I recall as high school.

"It's Four now, Peter."

"Hey man, you got five bucks?"

I get out my wallet and give him a ten. Then, quietly I say, "Look what I've become." I smirk. "And now you're…" I look him up and down. "Living the dream."

He gives a fake laugh and walks away.

I turn back to B—Tris.

"I better get back there." She smiles. "Call me tomorrow."

"Will do."

**-Next Day-**

It's six o'clock, so I decide to call Be—Tris. Goddammit. Tris. I've put it off long enough.

I dial her digits off of my hand and wait.

"Tris Prior here," she answers.

"Hey, Tris, it's Tobias."

"Hey, finally working up the balls to call me?" she teases, when she's actually making the correct assumption.

"Good one, Tris," I say sarcastically. "So, I was thinking we could go to that one restaurant we've always wanted to go to—"

"Wellllll," she says, interrupting me, "I was thinking maybe we could just go to the diner…? You know _our_ diner."

"Really?" I ask.

"Yeah. We've shared so much history there! We went there every Saturday for breakfast, for god's sake. Please?"

I let out a breath. "Fine. I can pick you up since I just got a car today."

"But you don't know where my apartment is." She chuckles.

"Fair point. Where is it?"

"The address is 697 Lowland Road, apartment 6."

"No shit?"

"Yes shit?" She laughs. "Why?"

"I'm on 486 Highland."

"Hm, guess you'll be seeing more of me, huh?"

"Please, it doesn't matter the distance with you."

"It did when you moved," she mumbles. "So, what time?"

"I was thinking around seven?"

"Perfect. I'll see you then." She hangs up.

An hour later, I jump into my Lambroghini Gallardo. I'm just going to say it, I'm pretty rich, but I don't like to show it off by buying a bunch of sports cars, watches, and mansions. I just happen to like this car a lot, so I bought it today.

I go down the road and find Lowland. I slowly drive along looking for the number 697. Once I find it, I park alongside the road.

I get out and go to apartment number six. I walk up to the door and knock three times. The door immediately opens and reveals a frowning B—Tris. Tris!

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"You're late."

"What? What time is it?"

She gets her iPhone out of her pocket and opens the screen. 7:01.

I playfully glare. "C'mon, Shorty."

She smiles and steps out. I finally notice what she's wearing and my jaw seems to slack a little without her noticing. Jeans with an extremely tight crop-top and heels. The jeans are a dark blue and her white crop-top that reveals about three inches above her waist says "Save Rock n Roll" in black lettering. And the heels. God, the heels. Heels with a casual outfit is pretty hot. The shoes are only about 3 inches high if I had to guess, but the heel is skinny. She's never been one to go an extreme though. Then the makeup. Only mascara and minimal lipstick. I hate caked-face girls, to be honest, even though I've dated several of them. Then the hair. She curled it, and it looks beautiful. It takes the breath out of me straight from my lungs.

"Like what you see?" she asks, smirking, knowing she quoted what I said last night.

Except I don't scoff and roll my eyes like she did. "Very much so, actually."

Scoffing and rolling her eyes must be her thing now, because she does it again as soon as the words leave my mouth.

When we reach my car, I open the door for her. I go around to the other side and climb in.

"Tobias, I really hope you didn't steal this." She chuckles.

I smile. "Yeah. Totally. I snuck into the dealership today and stole the keys and drove off."

She rolls her eyes. "So, what, now you're a big hotshot with tons of money and sports cars and chicks and fancy alcohol and you have your own peasant servant?" she asks with a smile on her face, but I can tell she's nervous for my answer.

"No, B—Tris. Goddammit. I'm calling you Prior now. One side of my head says it's Bea, one side of my head says it Tris. Anyway, if I were like that I certainly wouldn't be living in Evanston, Illinois. If I were a rich, toffee-nosed dick, I'd be living in a penthouse in NY."

"And I suppose you weren't cut out for that life?"

I look over at her for a short two seconds while I drive with a smirk planted on my face. "I ain't about that life."

She scoffs and rolls her eyes. "How come you're not, though? You could have all the girls you wanted, but you choose to come back to shitty-yet-amazing Evanston? Why? And sure, you may not like the big city, but, c'mon, you could still buy a mansion nearby. And seriously, you could be hanging out with all of the other rich people in Evanston or Chicago, yet here we are; you and I going out to our favorite old 50's diner, as if we are sixteen again. _Plus_, with _me _of all people. I know I ramble, but I'm just trying to put everything out there before you decide to actually hang out with me, because I am not rich. You and I are hardly even alike anymore," she finishes.

I laugh as I park and turn off the car in front of the diner.

"Tell me, since when have we _ever_ been considerably alike?" I ask with a smirk etched in on my face.

She smiles up at me. "That's a good point you have there."

Both of us get out and head inside.

We take our seats, and I notice Prior picks the place we sat at every single time.

As soon as we sit, we are confronted by a middle-aged woman on roller-skates.

"Oh, I remember you two." She claps her hands. "Except you." She pinches my cheek. "Tobias, you've beefed-up quite a bit, haven't you? And my Bea," Mrs. O'Conner says while turning to her, "still beautiful as ever. I have a surprise for both of you." She walks away.

Prior and I look at each other and smile.

"I loved her. She was and is the best," I say.

"Yeah."

"So, you're going to college?"

She nods. "To be a personal trainer."

"Maybe if all goes well tonight, I'll give you a job at RedBulb." I wink.

"That'd be awfully convenient." She smirks. "Don't you think for being your best friend and all I should get a higher paycheck?"

I laugh. "Maybe."

We sit in silence for a while.

"Why did you disappear on me five years ago?" she asks suddenly.

I take a deep breath. "I had to get away."

"Yeah. Obviously. From me?"

I shake my head slowly. "Not at all, Prior, not at all. I missed you. A lot actually. But I had to get away. Not from you, but everything. My home, my enemies, my hometown, my_self._ I had to stop being Tobias, and I need you to understand that, Prior. I couldn't handle being fat anymore. I didn't do it for others, but for myself. And, in all honestly, I don't think I would have gotten anywhere if I were still fat, because in the world we live in, you get judged a whole hell of a lot. But if you want me to tell you I regret my decision of leaving this place, I can't say I do. Yes, I missed you and Shauna and Zeke… but I wouldn't trade anything for this moment in my life back with my best friend. Money doesn't make me happy, Prior. That's why I moved back here. I wasn't happy. And now look at me. I'm just jolly and dandy now that I get to see you again." I chuckle and smile.

"I get it," she whispers, staring at the wall opposite of us. "I get why you had to leave, but I'm glad you came back." She turns toward me and smiles. She knew about Marcus. Of course she knew about Marcus. She was, is, and always will be my best friend, no matter the distance between us.

"Alrighty, here we go," Mrs. O'Conner says. "One grilled cheese with an extra side of ranch for Bea here and triple chocolate meltdown pancakes for Tobias." She smiles sweetly.

"Thanks, Mrs. O'Conner." I smile up at her, even though I know I won't be feeling well later since I haven't had sweets in my system in years.

She smiles and leaves.

I eat, even though I know it'll go against me later.

We soon finish, but I could only handle about half of it.

I let out a big breath.

"What's wrong?" asks Prior.

"I just haven't had sweets in years, so this'll probably demolish my system."

Her eyebrows rise. "Really? I can't believe you didn't say anything." She smiles.

I shake my head. "How can you say no to Mrs. O'Conner?"

She shakes her head. "You'd think after being buffed-up and in New York for five years, you'd be a jerk. Still sweet as ever. And the best _friend _ever." She smiles, as do I. But there's one difference: hers is real.

Yes, I'm glad that Prior and I are in contact again, but I can't help but wish we were something more. Something more than "just friends," like we've always been.

"How did everything taste?" Mrs. O'Conner asks as she sets the check on our table.

"Delicious," Prior answers, "Four over here wasn't very hungry though, so he couldn't finish."

"Oh, that's quite alright," she says with a smile on her face as she takes our plates. "You two have a good night," she bids her goodbye since we take the check up to a counter.

"Crap, she didn't give us two checks," Prior says as she digs around in her pockets for her wallet since she refuses to carry around a purse.

"Don't worry about it. I would've paid both of them if it were two separate ones anyway."

She sighs. "Fine. I'm not going to argue with you."

"Good." I smile.

As we drive home, I think about kissing her at her doorstep, but then decide against it.

I walk her to her doorstep, like I always did back in the day.

"Just like old times, right?" she asks with a smile directed towards me.

I nod. "Exactly like the old times." My head leans in, my heart taking over my mind.

Prior stands on her tiptoes and wraps her around my waist, pulling me into a hug.

Looks like I've picked up exactly where I left off.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_You guys' feedback is amazing! 43 follows, 27 favorites, and 17 reviews! I honestly can't tell you how much I appreciate it!_

**Tobias P.O.V. **

"And then I tried to kiss her! I'm an idiot. I am truly an idiot. Then she just went past my head as I was leaning in and hugged me!" I exclaim as I pace up and down the creaky floors of my new house, in which Zeke and Shauna are present at around 4 o'clock.

"C'mon man, it can't be _that _bad, right? Maybe she's just not comfortable yet with you again. I mean you've been gone for five years and you expect her to kiss you the first time you try something? I just think you need to calm yourself a little. She thinks you and her are just friends. Maybe butter her up a little, you know?" Zeke says.

I say nothing for a few seconds. "I guess so. I mean we did just go to the diner. Nothing extravagant." I shrug, as if it's nothing.

"I could talk to her if you'd like?" Shauna offers. "You know, maybe get a little inside mind on how she works. Also, I could give you some advice." She crosses her legs and leans forward.

I stop moving. "Go on," I demand.

"Okay. So, you've been in love with her since high school, correct?"

I nod.

"Hon, I'm going to be honest with you. I had no clue if she liked you back then. I personally think you two would be absolutely adorable together, but hey, that's Tris's call. Anyway, you basically need to play hard to get. Don't let her treat you like a boyfriend, and don't let yourself treat her like a girlfriend. I know that sounds weird, but trust me. The more time she spends with you acting like a boyfriend, the more she'll look at you like an older brother. You do not want to be looked at like that. Believe me." She glares at Zeke.

"Really? I looked at you like an older brother?" Zeke wears a shit-eating grin.

"Shut the hell up. Anyway, Four, I'll talk to her tomorrow at work. I work part-time at The Pit with her while I'm going to college. I'm studying to be a chef."

"Really? I haven't an idea what you guys' lives have been like. Pour out all of your hopes and dreams to me."

"I'm sorry, but I can't pour out Shauna to you." Zeke smirks.

She smiles at him and slaps his chest.

"I want to open my own bakery one day," says Shauna. "Then, I'll travel world and make everybody happy because there'll be unicorns and rainbows and glitter all over my cakes!" She says like a madman with an overly high voice.

"If you were like that then I'd be outta here," Zeke puts in.

She laughs.

That's the kind of relationship I want with Prior. To be free and open without a care in the world. She wouldn't have to worry about being able to fit her arms around me either.

"Should I ask her to go rollerblading tonight, or something?"

Shauna nods. "Remember on the phone not to act like her boyfriend, alright?"

I nod and find her contacts.

"You got this, man. Don't worry," Zeke says with a pat on my shoulder.

"What do youwant?" Prior snaps as soon as she answers.

"Someone's moody," I say with a chuckle.

"Sorry," she sighs. "Bad day. Anyway, what's up?" she asks with a better tone.

"Well, Prior, I was wondering if you'd maybe like to go roller-skating or blading or whatever you're supposed to call it."

"Sure, I mean if I have to," she jokes. "There's actually a few of my newer friends that you haven't met. Would you mind if they came? Oh, and we can't forget about Shauna and Zeke."

"Oh, yeah. Of course. I'd love to meet them."

"So the one guy, his name's Uriah. Sound familiar?" she asks.

"You're friends with the loser we call 'Mini Zeke'?"

"Hey! He's my best friend, even though he's two years younger than me," she says with a laugh. "Oh god. I'm sorry. I didn't mean—uhm, yeah. I'm sorry things have just… changed.

"Wow. So he was my replacement?" I joke, but can't help to put truth into my words.

"Temporarily, he was. I didn't think I'd ever see you again. Now he's second place, right next to you, that is."

"Pft. Bitches be trippin' if they think they're better than alllll this." I laugh, as does Prior.

"You're an idiot, Tobias, but that's why I love you. Anyhow, what time tonight, exactly?"

"Maybe around 7 o'clock? I can pick you up. I'd actually rather pick you up since I don't want to put you through the torture of walking five miles."

She chuckles. "Okay, thanks. I'll text Uri and them for seven. See you then," she says.

"See you then, Prior."

I press the little red circle button and put my phone in my pocket.

"Looks like you two are going roller-skating tonight."

"You seriously couldn't grow the balls to just ask her out? _Alone_?" Zeke protests.

"C'mon, Zeke, it won't be that bad. You're my wingman! I wish I could say I was your wingman in high school, but I clearly knew nothing about women." I laugh.

"Man, are you spot on," Shauna says with a teasing smile.

"I am though." I laugh.

"We should get going," Zeke says. "I've got to get ready for a night of winging and manning." He smiles.

I walk them down to the door.

As they walk to their car, Shauna yells, "Remember: hard to get!"

"Will do!" I shout, and then close the door.

I go upstairs to my now fully furnished room. I still have yet to get a dining table, TV, couch, coffee table, or food to fill the pantry. The kitchen already has appliances. And no, I do not have a butler to make me food. That's ridiculous. I am extremely capable of making my own food, doing my laundry, and yard work. I even make a pretty reputable cheeseburger with homemade fries. That reminds me, I also need to get a grill. And a deep fryer. And forks and spoons and knives… Once I get all of those things though I could have a cookout in the backyard. Which is a decent size, might I add. So, if all goes well tonight, maybe Prior and her friends can come over sometime. And maybe someday it can just be her and me, except not in the way we are now. In the way I can only hope we will be.

**-6:45- **

As I get dressed in my black jeans and casual dark red shirt, I think. I have to act like her friend. Yes, it'll be extremely hard, but if that's the way it needs to go, then so be it. I mean, it can't be that hard, right? We've been friends for, what?—Twelve, thirteen years, excluding the five years I was gone? So from pre-school to our senior year, we'd been friends, but it wasn't until I was a sophomore that I actually started having feelings for her. I remember at lunch how she'd always sit with Shauna, Zeke, and me because she claimed we were better friends than any of the popular jerks. Which we were. But she still talked to them and still went to their parties and still dated some of them and still remained captain of the cheer squad. Extremely tacky.

Then there was me. The fat, stupid kid that had three friends his whole life. At one point around my sophomore year I began to wonder why the hell she'd been friends with me. I thought she was friends with me out of pity, but no. I guess she really just loved me. Yes, we've said 'I love you' an insurmountable amount of times, but she never meant it like I did. Yeah, she _meant _it, but in a different context. Like this, "Okay, bye Tobias! Love you!" But on the inside for me, I was thinking, _"__Okay, bye, Bea, I'm in love with you.__"_

I guess I always have and always will be, friends or not.

Dragging my feet behind me, I walk out the door and lock it behind me. I open my car door and put the keys in the ignition.

I drive down the road to Prior's apartment.

I knock on her door for the second time over the weekend.

"Come in!" her voice yells.

Hesitantly, I open the door and see her in the living room digging through a box.

"Whatcha doin'?" I ask with a chuckle.

"Wait… Found it!" she exclaims.

She throws the square-shaped object towards me.

I catch it and look at the label on the inside the clear box. "Mixed CD by Bea Prior to my bestest friend in the whole world."

"Oh my god. The CD you made me junior year." I laugh. "Man, the most popular songs of 2003." I smile once my laughter dies down. "Why don't we go test this baby out?"

"Seriously?" she asks.

"Sure. Just like old times."

_You're just her friend. Hard to get. _

"Why the hell not? Let's go!" she exclaims, leaving me inside as she heads out.

I shut the door behind me and follow her, CD in hand.

Once I get to the car, I put in the disc. The first to come on is "Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake.

"Oh my god! I haven't heard this in so long!" Prior begins singing along.

Minutes later, "Where is the Love" by Black Eyed Peas comes on.

"If I recall correctly, this was your favorite song on the track." Prior smirks.

I mirror the expression. "Yep. Sure was."

In the middle of the next song, I pull into roller-skating rink parking lot at 7:04.

"Hey guys!" Prior exclaims as we get past the gate of admittance, which I bought hers. Friends do that. I did it back in high school. Then again, look where it got me.

Everybody is lacing up their shoes while Prior introduces me.

"This is Uriah, as you already know. Then there's Marlene, Chris, and Lynn. They all work me at the bar along with Shauna. Then we have Will, Chris's boyfriend. Then obviously Zeke and Shauna, who I certainly hope you remember. The others are two years younger than us.

I nod. "I probably won't remember any if you guys' names tomorrow, but I'll try my best." I chuckle. "I'm Four."

I think her name was Chris scoffs. "What, like, the number?"

"Exactly like the number." I glare.

"Okeeee," her eyes widen and she slowly turns around.

"Hey, Prior, let's go get laced up," I tell her.

"Alrighty."

We walk over towards the counter. We get our right sizes in rollerblades and head off to the rink. All of Prior's friends are already skating.

We get out blades on and stand up. At least, she tries to.

"Tobias." She chuckles. "Help me off my chair."

I grab both of her hands and pull her up. She wobbles a little.

"You sure you want to do this, Prior?" I ask.

She scoffs. "I've got this, Eaton."

"Really? Because your instability seems to really show off your amazing-ness at this," I say sarcastically.

"Shut up or else I'll start calling you Eaton." She glares.

I shrug. "I don't care. Whichever you prefer." I smirk.

She huffs under her breath, "Whatever."

As we get out onto the slippery wood, I still holding her hand for her "safety." I say, "Heard that, Prior."

"Good, Eaton." She pauses. "Is it okay if I call you Eaton around your soon-to-be friends?"

"Yeah."

As we round the corner, Prior slips and almost falls. Key word: _Almost. _

I catch her in midst of her diminishing by wrapping my arms around her waist.

She straightens and clears her throat as she stares straight ahead. "Well that was embarrassing."

"Not really, I don't think anyone was looking but me."

"Exactly," she mumbles under her breath.

I smirk. She doesn't know she said that out loud, I presume. I realize my arms still remains around her waist.

_Can't be her boyfriend yet. Hard to get. Hard to get. _

I grab her hand and begin to swing them.

I clear my throat. "So, tell me Prior. How's the love life?" I ask with a smirk that seems to be planted on my face.

"Oh. Not good. John and I broke up a year ago." She shrugs. "You know, John Miller. The dick in high school."

"Ooh. Another jerk."

She scoffs. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

I shrug. "Nothing. You just dated a lot of jerks in high school."

"Oh whatever. What about you? Love anyone but yourself?" she asks sarcastically.

I think for a second. "Hm... No." I laugh. "Just dating. Kind of just trying to look for a _soul mate_, you know?" I ask, putting extra emphasis on "soul mate" because it's typically not a word many use now.

"You should try harder," she says with a smile while looking up at me.

I smile back. I think I'm about done looking.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_HAPPY (almost) THANKSGIVING!_

**Tris P.O.V.**

"Tris! Get out here!" Chris yells from outside the ring of skaters.

"If you'd so kindly excuse me just for a moment," I say while rolling my eyes.

"Of course," Tobias says.

Once I get to the nearest exit, I roll over to where Chris is standing, along with Shauna and Marlene.

"What could you possibly so much as to interrupt while we were talking about our _love lives_?" I ask venomously.

They laugh in realization.

Marlene says, "You were talking about your love life with your best friend? Who also happens to be in love with you?"

"He is not in love with me," I serenely say as I cross my arms.

"Tell that to the date June 6th, 2009. Ring a bell?" asks Shauna.

I look away. At Tobias, to be specific. He's talking to Zeke in the ring, and Tobias looks somewhat flustered and irritated.

"It's not like it was the day he told you he was in love with you or anything," Shauna says sarcastically as she folds her arms.

I continue to look towards Tobias's direction, not saying a single word, nor am I making eye contact with any of them. At this point Tobias looks like he's about to punch Zeke in the face out of aggravation.

Then, quietly as can be, I say, "What did you guys want to talk to me about?"

"Well, we were actually wondering—"

Then it dawns upon me. I point a finger at Chris, interrupting her with, "You wanted to get Four alone so Zeke could talk to him and give him advice on making a move on me." I cruelly laugh. "You all are in on some sort of plan I don't know about. Well, it's not going to work, because I've never liked him like that and I never will. So you know what—? Go tell Zeke or Four and see how many shits I give." I carefully start to waddle towards the entrance to the ring to find Uriah.

I start going fast to try to catch up to Uriah and get away from Tobias and Zeke quickly as possible.

As I stride up next to Uriah, he says, "Hey."

I don't look at him. "You couldn't even warn me about Four?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't, Pedrad. I know you were in on the plan. You know, the one where everyone but me was aware that Four was still in love with me? Yeah, that one."

"Wait, Four is _still_ in love with you? Damn, he must be attached…" He scratches his neck.

"Shut it. You couldn't at least warn me? I had no clue!"

"Had no clue about what?" Tobias asks as he and Zeke roll up to us.

"How spicy the nacho cheese is. It practically burned my tongue off," I lie while not glancing at a single one of them.

"You're lying. They don't even serve nachos here," Zeke reciprocates immediately after the words leave my lips.

I sigh. "Fine. Uriah has secretly been crushing on Marlene and he hasn't told anyone until now." I look at Uriah.

"Tris! Why did you tell them?" Uriah asks. He really has. He just told me a few days ago, but I obviously figured it out long before, being his best friend and all.

"I love you?" I ask with hope for forgiveness.

He glares at the two of them. "Don't you dare tell her. I was planning on asking her to the slow song tonight and then… yeah."

And then, as if on cue, the DJ announces he'll be playing a slow song.

"It's a sign." Uriah laughs to himself and strides over to where Marlene seems to begin skating.

Zeke soon heads off to find Shauna, leaving Tobias and me together.

"May I have this… roll?" Tobias asks jokingly.

"Sure." I shrug.

"So what were the girls talking to you about?" he asks with suspicion.

I shrug again. "They just wanted to know if I knew anything about Uri and Mar."

"Ah," he says with a nod, somewhat relieved.

"Oh, and I also mentioned to them that I know you're still in love with me."

And with that, I skate out of the rink, quickly taking off my skates and gathering my things.

**-Next Day-**

Surprisingly enough, the bar is pretty busy tonight, the day after roller-blading. Hell, I'd be drinking too just because it's Monday. Which is why Shauna, Chris, Mar, and I are sitting at the bar after our shifts. Lynn would be here too, but she took the later slot.

"So, what's the history with Four, eh?" Chris says with a nudge of the shoulder.

I take a sip of my beer and smile. "We've been friends since pre-school. He used to be so chubby, it was adorable." I smile, but it fades. Not to a frown, but fades to an even bigger smile. "And now…" I whistle. "We've been just friends all our lives and it'll probably stay that way, but… He's… He's definitely changed."

"For better or worse?" Mar asks.

"And what do you mean by it'll _probably _stay that way?" Chris questions.

"Worse. He's kind of a prick around others, but to me he's a little bit softer. We'll stay friends until he decided to leave town again or something. He got extremely ho—fty, though. Hefty. He got extremely hefty." I blush and take a sip of my beer.

"You mean hot?" Chris blatantly says. "'Cause yes. He is."

I smack her arm and continue with my mad blush. "Why do you care? You're dating Will!"

"Does that mean I can't take the time to acknowledge good-looking men?" she asks. "No."

I roll my eyes.

"Is that… Wait, I've never seen it before," says Lynn as she gets me another beer. "…Jealousy?"

I blush my mad blush again.

"I don't even know what or who you're talking about, but she's definitely jealous of someone or something."

"Ha!" Shauna points. "You are totally crushing on him."

"He's been back for four days!" I stand up. "And this isn't high school anymore, Shauna, he's changed. For better or worse, I don't know, actually. And I certainly don't appreciate what went on last night with you guys." I spin on my heels and walk away, taking my fresh, newly-opened beer with me.

I walk out onto the sidewalk and walk a few steps until I hear a honk. It's normal. I'm wearing booty shorts, a tight t-shirt, and combat boots. Standard uniform. I hate working there. Being so… exposed and… ugh. I'm an extreme feminist. Some guys get paid more than women in a certain job. So, what, just because I don't have a dick I can't get as much money, even when I work harder? Fuck that. So tell me what's more offensive: Me saying fuck, or women not having equal rights? Certainly the latter option is the better alternative. Fuck. That.

Another honk. "Hey, hon!" A familiar voice shouts. "You need a ride?" Peter slurs. Of course he's still found a way a way to get drunk, even though he was banned from The Pit while I was out roller-blading with Eaton. I was told he'd gotten in some sort of fight with one of his whores.

I roll my eyes and keep walking. I'm approaching Highland Road, one block away from my apartment.

"I asked you a question, _Bea_," he says sternly as he possibly can.

"No," I grit out between my teeth.

"Hm, incorrect." Peter begins to exit the car.

I realized I missed my turn trying to get him off my trail and am now on Highland, not Lowland.

"Listen, Peter, I'm not—"

He lethargically punches me square in the nose and grabs my elbow, but I quickly punch him once I have the right angle, dropping my beer along the way. With one more hit, he's out like a light.

"Idiot," I mumble. I could care less if laid here all night and then got eaten by sewer rats, but then there'd be some… legal troubles. I may be strong, but there's no way I can lift his fat ass into the car.

Who does one call in a situation like this?

Like, "Hi, yeah, this guy tried kidnap me and I need to put him back in his car. You'll be right there, you say? Oh thank you."

Highland. 4…68? 846? 486! 486 Highland Road. Eaton's address. Why does it have to be him, of all people? He hasn't tried to contact me since last night after I ran out. I guess I have no other option though.

Now I'm at 476. I walk down five houses, not straying too far from the unconscious, son of a—

I interrupt my own thoughts by knocking on his door. He's most likely asleep, considering it's almost one in the morning. I hear a rumbling, most likely his feet on the steps.

He opens the door. "Do you have idea what t—oh god. Get inside. You're bleeding." He lays a palm on my cheek, gently rubbing my nose.

"Eaton, don't worry about me. Listen, I knocked out Peter—I'll explain later—and I need you to get him back into his car since I'm too weak to lift his fat ass."

"No. I'm taking care of your nose first. C'mere." He leads me up the steps, and I finally notice him. He's not wearing a shirt; just pajama bottoms, which reveals the giant tattoo of flames encasing his back. I don't mention it.

He motions for me to hop on the counter of the bathroom, and I follow orders. He positions himself in between my legs and grabs multiple bandages and aiding stuff.

He shakes his head while dabbing at the blood. "What did you do?" he mumbles.

"I didn't do anything." I cross my arms. "It was Peter."

His hand immediately stops caressing my nose once he's done fixing it and looks me in the eyes. Then, in a dangerously low voice, he says, "Peter. He did this."

I look away, causing his hands to drift off my cheeks.

"And you knocked him out, correct?" he asks using the same tone.

I give a slow nod. "He was drunk… and he tried to… He tried to, um, get me to come with him. To his house. And my, uh, _uniform_ didn't exactly help," I say, putting emphasis on the word "uniform" since I don't exactly feel comfortable in it.

Tobias's hands lie on the counter, balled up in rage, as he looks at the shower curtain. The sink. The toilet. Anywhere but me.

"I'll be back," he grunts. Then he walks out of the bathroom and descends down the stairs.

"No, Eaton—don't." I grab his arm as I struggle to catch up with him by the front door.

"Tris," he huffs. "He—you can't—I'm not going to allow this!" he says, stern, but with a certain softness in his voice that may or may not make me want to melt.

_Friends. He's your best friend._

"Thank you, Tobias, but I'm not going to let you go to jail, even if it's just for a night. I just need you to throw the bastard back in his car so that he's not lain out on the sidewalk, even though I know you could easily kill him with one hit to the head. Okay?" I ask as I rub his arm up and down.

He looks away again. Then he shakes his head. "Goddammit, Tris." He rolls his eyes and looks at the ceiling. "Fine, but after this I'm walking you home."

"I'm perfectly capable—" I begin.

"I know you are." He opens the front door without shoes and walks in the direction I point to. But he's not there.

"The coward must've woken up and ran away," says Tobias. "Let me go grab a shirt and shoes and we'll be on our way, alright?" he asks, already walking back towards his doorstep.

Minutes later he comes back outside in a black shirt, pajama bottoms, and slides.

"Ready?" he asks.

I don't say anything; just start walking on the sidewalk.

Without taking a single glance at him, I ask, "What's with the tattoo on your back? Did you get to cover the… you knows."

He doesn't say anything for a minute, but then, "Yeah. I believe the flames are completely eradicating my past, not just by covering them up. I like to believe they're burning what's left of the old me. I hate to believe that some of me is still existing within. I hate even bearing the thought that I could become the old me. I hate the fact that I could still become who I was five years ago. I hate knowing that I was never good enough. I hate—"

"Stop it!" I yell in frustration and stop walking. "Stop, Tobias. I get why you hate your past home-life, but I don't get why you hate the other part. You know what I hate? I hate to believe that you're becoming whoever _this_—" I gesture my hands to him. "—is, because it's certainly not the you I've come to know and love over the years. I hate bearing the thought that you're losing your old self. I hate the fact that you're not the guy you were five years ago. And you know what I hate the most, Four? I hate knowing that you're well on your way there." As I finish, I begin to run toward my complex, which is just a mere thirty yards away, but feels like an eternal mile.

"Prior—" Four shouts as he tries to catch up, but I soon cut him off.

"No," I bellow, "it's Tris!" And with that, I unlock my door and I step in. I slam it shut and slide against it, putting all of my weight on it as I curl up.

I don't believe in crying. I never have, and I never will. Tears are only meant to lubricate the eyes and nothing more than that. There is no real reason why we humans cry at the behest of emotion. That's why I don't do it. I pick myself back up and carry on.

So that's what I do. I stand up, straighten my shirt, and carry myself to the bathroom to draw a shower.

I forget what happened tonight. It's over. I forget who I was all those years ago. There's a new me. I forget about my worries. They're nothing. I forget about school. It's unimportant at the moment. I forget about work. It's sickening. I forget about my friends. It won't be long until I see them. I forget about Tobias. He's gone. The new and unimproved version of him is here, and his name is Four. It's time to forget about him too, because Tobias is just somebody that I used to recognize. Now he's nothing more than an old friend that is just a few pages in the story of my life that I have barely even begun to write.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Sorry for not updating in a while. My dad was in town and I didn't have access to my computer at home, which this chapter was written on. But on the bright side, he got me a laptop, so I wrote three chapters in three days! Now I should probably be able to update every two to three days._

**Four P.O.V.**

Four…

Five…

Seven…

Nine…

Still no answer. After nine calls, she still won't pick up the goddamn phone.

One the last phone call, I leave a voicemail, unlike the other calls.

"_Tris. Please just… just pick up the phone. We need to talk, whether you like it or not._"

I sigh as I toss my phone back on my bed. I put my hands in my hair and fall back onto the plush mattress.

She knows. She knows that I'm still in love with her. She knows about the plan. And worst of all, she knows that I lied. She knows that I lied about still being just friends. And then there's the fact that she's mad that I'm not the old me. I don't want to be the old me because I was too much of a coward to do anything about Tris. And when I finally did, she didn't like me back. And now, even though I'm more confident and good-looking, she still doesn't like me.

That's why I had to leave. Not because she didn't like me. Because I was never good enough for her nor Marcus. Because I never belonged. I needed to find out who I really was.

Which, in fact, I have. I'm the guy who's a jerk on the outside and a mushy, fat, caring, gentle guy on the inside. Much like a cactus. If I could just have both… a little bit of a tough guy around others, but still a little polite. Then around Tris I'd just be Tobias. No tough guy persona. No fake me. No phony Four facade.

Or I could stop talking to Tris all together.

But that's obviously not an option. Maybe I just need to try to stop loving her…? Ha. Like I'll actually be able to do that, but I can at least try. It can't be that hard. It's just Tris. She's just an old high school friend from when we were kids. We were young. We were stupid and naïve. After being apart from her for five years and only seeing her three times since I moved back, how could I possibly still be in love with her? I've never said those words to anybody else, but that doesn't change the fact that when I snap my fingers I won't just stop loving her.

Then I realize: that's not how love works. Love isn't when one has a strange want for someone, so they need them. Love is when one loves someone simply because of their personality, smile, intelligence, kindness… so many more things that Tris has within that others rarely utilize.

So, no, I guess I can't just stop loving her, because if I weren't really in love with her, I wouldn't be in this much distress. If weren't in love with her, I'd be out drinking. If I weren't in love with her, I'd be at the gym. If weren't in love with her, I wouldn't be in such disarray right now. If I weren't in love with her, I wouldn't be answering the phone next to me.

I quickly snatch it and look at the caller ID.

"Tris," I breathe.

"Um, yeah. You're voice sounds deeper than usual. Did you get much sleep last night?" she asks, ignoring the fact that we're supposed to be mad at each other.

"No, actually. There happened to be a girl knocking on my door at one A.M. needing me to fix her almost-broken nose. Then we got into an excessively overdone fight about me being a douche. Which she was right."

I hear nothing over the line but a bit of crinkling. "Tobias." She pauses. "I was trying to play that off coolly." I can tell she is vaguely smiling.

"Oh. Um… Yeah, not much sleep last night. I was just up thinking for awhile." I pause. "How was that? Did I do okay?"

"Fantastic."

I take a deep breath. "You know we have to talk about it sometime, right?"

"We could." Silence. "Orrrr we could stay here talking to each other all night like we did back in the good old days. Your choice."

"…So," I say in my soft fat-boy voice, "How were you today, Bea?"

"Oh my gosh, Tobias. You sound just like your old self." Tris giggles. "It was… okay. Just a lot of homework with school... how about you?"

"Pretty horrible. I kept on thinking about this girl."

"Ohhh, Tobias likes someone! Document this day in history! Who is it, huh?" she asks eagerly, as if she knows I'm about to say it's her.

"You, Tris. Who else?" I sigh.

She copies. "You and I… We should just be friends. We've always been like that. Don't you think we're guaranteed to last forever if we stay friends? Hypothetically, if we broke up, and we were a hypothetical couple, what do you hypothetically think would happen? Do you really think we'd still talk? Remember, this is all hypothetical, Tobias."

I almost laugh at her use of that word. "I think we'd still talk, but in this hypothetical universe, I wouldn't let you slip away from me that easily, because when you're—hypothetically—ready give me a chance, I'll have my arms open. I'm willing to wait as long as you need. Hypothetically."

She doesn't say anything. Then, "What if you'll be left waiting for the rest of your life?" she asks quietly.

"If you don't love me then I simply won't be loved. If I don't love you I will not love. I know that you're not in love with me, and that's okay, but I just need to know whether or not you love me in any way, shape, or form, because any kind is better than nothing. I just don't want to lose you, Tris."

"Tobias," she croaks, "of course I love you. I think we… I think we should just stay friends though. For now. Please… Just… for now. For me, Tobias," she whispers.

"Of course, Tris. Things won't be awkward though, will they?" I ask nervously.

"What will be awkward?" she asks with a laugh. "Listen, I've, uh, gotta go. Alright? Love you."

"Yeah. Love you," I say, clicking the red button.

**Tris P.O.V.**

"Listen, I've, uh, gotta go. Alright? Love you," I say with a sniffle that I hope Tobias can't hear.

"Yeah. Love you," he says, and then the line goes dead.

I sit with my arms wrapped around my legs and my head on my knees.

"Tris, what happened, are you alright? It couldn't have been that bad," says Uriah as sits across from me on my bed.

"No." I smile as the tears slowly drip down my face. "It went well. Really well, actually. But Tobias is in love with me… and told me he wouldn't love anybody else and that if I don't love him he won't be loved. I feel like awful for not wanting to be with him yet. I mean, yeah, I love him, but not quite like that yet. I don't know. Maybe one day. I just don't want to ruin our friendship, you know?"

Uriah nods and grabs my hands. "I do know, because that was exactly I felt when I was asking Marlene out. Next thing you know I was kissing her at her doorstep. But you need to ask yourself whether or not you actually like him."

"I mean of course I love him, but, just not like that… yet. I think I should wait a little longer, you know? I mean he's been here for, what?—five days?—and he expects me to already jump into his arms? I barely know the new him. He's changed a lot. I want to get to know him better as a friend before I do something I regret. If that makes sense. Does that make sense?" I look up at Uriah for the first time.

He nods. "Of course it does, Tris. Just tell him that. I think that as long as you two are friends, he'll be happy. He really does love you. In both ways. So when you think you're done getting to know him and you like who he is, call him, and then make out with him." He winks and gets up.

My jaw is dropped, trying to fight back a smile. I punch him in the arm.

"Alright, I'm not sorry, Trissy, but I have to go to work. I'm working the evening-night shift at the YMCA. I don't think I'm supposed to be talking to Four since he's 'the enemy,' as my manager calls him. He'll probably start taking some of our business, but whatever. I get paid all the same." He smiles.

"Okay, bye." I wave.

"Bye, Trissy!" he shouts as he walks out the door.

I have nothing to do now. Fun.

It's only 6:00 right now, so I decide to go get a haircut after this whole… event. I need something new.

I slip on some shoes and head through the dark back alleyway of my apartment.

_As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I take a look at my life and realize there's nothing left. _

That lyric is surprisingly accurate to most people who throw their lives away whether it's voluntary or not. For a few months just after I turned nineteen, I started excessively drinking… And one night it got out of hand.

_Cause I've been blastin' and laughin' so long that even my mama thinks that my mind is gone._

That night, I'd gotten really drunk at party, and next thing I knew I woke up at the hospital, and my mom was holding my hand.

_Too much television watchin' got me chasin' dreams._

For the longest time, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I figured everything would work itself out, just like the movies. So I got a job at the bar. Ironically enough, I stopped drinking just after.

_Death ain't nothin' but heartbeat away._

I could have ended my life when I was struggling with my addiction in one second. One heartbeat.

_I'm livin' life, do or die, what can I say?_

I lived my life back then without a care in the world when I was drinking. I only had that day once, why would I waste it?

_I'm 23 now but will I live to see 24?_

I didn't know. I'm 23 now, but I sure as hell am going to see 24.

_The way things are going, I don't know._

I didn't know that, either. I honestly didn't. I had everything, every little detail, planned out for never seeing 20.

_Tell me, why are we so blind to see that the ones we hurt are you and me?_

I thought I was living life the way any other would at 19. I thought my life was going great. But I was just hurting myself. And others. Zeke and Shauna tried to continuously help me, and they didn't give up, especially after that night. I clung to them like a small child would to their mother. They were my rock for the longest time. They were so disappointed in me for making the choices I'd made, but they were happy to help when I voluntarily wanted to stop.

I've had my hair the same for my whole life. Long and blonde.

I need to forget about the past.

After the next hour or two, my hair ends up being at the top of my neck, and then as it gets towards the front, it gets longer so it's angled. In the front it reaches to the top of my breasts. After my hair got cut, at the bottom tips I got light purple put in.

This isn't Tris or Bea. This is Prior. Prior isn't the same girl as Tris or Bea. Given, Tris is better than Bea, but Prior is stronger than both. Bea was the sweet, loving, overly nice girl, and Tris was the alcoholic. Prior is strong, but still thoughtful. Maybe I'm glad that I've changed. Maybe I'm not the same girl as I used to be.

And maybe I'm okay with that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Tobias P.O.V.**

"C'mon, Tris, we've always wanted to go! We have to!" I try to persuade Tris. She persists on me calling her that instead of Prior, even though she still calls me Eaton.

"Eaton, I don't know. Skyzone? Isn't it, like, an hour and a half away? You know I don't like driving far."

"I know, Tris, but it'll be worth it! Please? I won't rip a hole in the trampoline since I'm not as big as I used to be, either. Pleassssse? It's a good work out, too."

"Tobias," she groans in complaint.

"C'mon. I bet you can't beat me at the basketball they have there," I say, knowing she's extremely competitive.

"Don't use my weaknesses against me, Eaton."

"It's the only way, Prior," I say, aware that I used that nickname.

"As long as you don't use that nickname, I'll go," she says submissively.

"And I win once more." I smile. "So how about I pick you up at, say, five? Maybe we can go to a late dinner after?"

"Tobias, if I knew you any better I'd say you were taking me on a date," she says with a hint of teasing in her voice.

"It's only a date if you make it a date, Tris."

"Let's call it a… an outing. So, for our outing, Tobias, we're going to Skyzone and picking up a late dinner? And you'll be picking me up at 6?" she asks for clarification.

"Correct. Anything else you want to do?" I ask.

"Let's save it for another day." I can tell she is smirking, even over the phone. "I'll see you then." And with that, the line goes dead, leaving me with a repetitive beeping sound.

I smile to myself. It actually worked. _Thank you, Zeke_, I silently praise him.

I hear a knock on the door frame, even though the door is open. "Hey, Boss," says my new employee/personal trainer Jim, who was recently hired since I just opened last week, even though I wasn't here. I have people to do that for me. The place is already fairly busy since it's a good amount less than the membership for the YMCA.

"What do you need, Jim?" I ask since I'm in a fairly good mood, unlike earlier. I'm a very mercurial person; my mood tends to swing depending on who I talk to. And as for Tris… Let's just say I'm not usually in a bad mood when I'm around her or even just texting her, for that matter.

"You seem like you're in a better mood, Boss." Jim smiles.

"Well, Jim, because I am, actually. All with the words of one person." I beam. "What did you need talk to me about?"

"Well, sir, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come out to drink with us staff in celebration of our new jobs. I don't know if you're one to typically talk much to your employees, but they all kind of elected me to come and ask you since you're rather intimidating. Anyway, would you like to come?"

"Ah, sorry, Jim. I can't. I actually just called my best friend and we're already going out tonight. Definitely another time though, man," I say politely.

"No worries. Hope you and your bud have a good time tonight."

"It's actually a girl. She will probably be working here soon, anyway. She doesn't have a boyfriend, but that doesn't mean any of you guys can flirt with her." I glare at him.

"Of course not, sir. Are you two just friends?"

"Unfortunately, yes." I sigh. "I'm pretty sure I'll be stuck in the friendzone for the rest of my life."

"What's the friendzone?" he asks.

"When your best friend begins to view you as no longer a dating option. Like a brother, or a sister. Or a lamp."

He chuckles at this, but I look up him with a straight face.

"Man, oh, man, does it suck. I've been there since my sophomore year of high school."

"Wow. And you're still in love with her?" he asks incredulously.

I nod. "Unfortunately, yes."

He whistles. "I hope it works out for you, man." He turns around and walks out.

"Me too, Jim," I mumble to myself. "Me too."

**-4:45-**

Deep breaths, Tobias, deep breaths. It's just Tris we're talking about. Your best friend. _Your best friend_, I remind myself. She obviously wants to keep it that way too. If she didn't want to keep that way, she wouldn't straight up tell me she didn't like me. If she didn't want to keep it that way, we'd be going on a date, not an "outing." If she didn't want to keep it that way, I'd be jumping with joy, not sitting in sorrow. Okay, I'll admit, that phrase was a bit melodramatic, but I'm not exactly jovial about it.

Although I understand why she was mad about me hating myself, I do not understand why she is giving me another chance, let alone go on an "outing" with me to actually have some fun. Who knows, maybe she'll even get to know more about new me.

Despite the fact that I'd be happy as a clam if she were in love with me and she felt the same about me over all these years, I'd rather her be in love with the new me and accept me how I am now, because I'm not the same person I used to be, and I don't just mean my physical demeanor.

When I was explaining to Tris about the meaning that lies beneath my flames, I was a bit overwrought, if I'm going to be honest. I don't completely hate myself, but I hate the fact that I have the potential to become the jerk I wish I never was. And Tris was right, I'm well on my way there, inauspiciously enough. I wish I could just be the perfect blend of good-looking, nice, and caring, which are really hard qualities to find individually, let alone all three in one person. But I try so hard. Well, at least, I'm going to try harder, starting now. I'm not going to be overly affectionate, but I'm not going to be a total asshole either. I'm going to be playful, where I insult her, but don't actually mean it. Much like teasing, I suppose.

So as I knock on her door, I think about my goals: flirt, tease, and listen.

"It's open!" yells Tris.

I slowly open the door to see Tris nowhere in sight.

"In the bathroom!" she yells, already answering my question.

I lean on the doorframe of the bathroom and cross my arms, somewhat of an akimbo position. I smirk.

"Well, don't you clean up nicely?" I say. "I really like your hair. Like, a lot. Really looks good on you. It brings out the rest of your features, like your breathtaking eyes." I wink.

She rolls her eyes. "Is this okay to go in?" she asks, referring to her outfit and hair.

I look her up and down, not hiding the fact that I'm full on checking her out. She wears a tight purple tank that matches the tips of her hair, aztec pants/leggings with blue, purple, and black accents (that are surprisingly adorable on her), and black Vans.

"You look amazing, Tris." I run my eyes over her once more, but still try not to make her uncomfortable. I meet her eyes and smile. She's also not wearing much make-up, which she somehow pulls off exceedingly. "Seriously, you make me look bad," I say, referring to my blue jeans and black under armor shirt with black Nikes.

"Tobias, isn't the girl supposed to worry about her looks?" she teases.

I smirk. "Yeah, but it's different when the guy is trying to impress the girl."

She smiles. "C'mon, let's get out of here." She nods towards the hall.

I put my arms out, motioning for her to go in front of me. "After you."

She smiles at me and walks into the hallway. She grabs her wallet and shoves it into one of her hidden pockets of her legging things.

"Ready?" she asks.

"Whenever you are."

"Let's get out of this shit-hole," she says, walking towards the door. "Lock it behind you," she shouts over her shoulder since I'm still in the doorway while she's sauntering toward my car in the parking lot.

I lock the door and close it behind me, and look at Tris's back, since she's still walking to my car. I can't help but let my eyes lower since she's wearing leggings, but quickly look away. I'm a gentleman, and I will not do it while she's unaware, unlike how I did in the bathroom, because she asked how she looked. The farthest my eyes actually went were to right where a tramp stamp would be.

I quickly run up to my car and open the door for her.

"Thanks, babe," she says with an over dramatized wink.

I round the car to the other side. "Babe?" I ask.

"Yeah?" she asks. "Oh. You mean why did I call you babe?" She chuckles.

I nod and start the car.

"I don't know." She smiles. "It kind of just came out, I guess. Do you mind?" she asks nervously.

"No." I laugh. "Just the situation, I guess… I don't know."

"I'm sorry," she says as I pull put of her parking lot. "I didn't mean to make it awkward or anything," she asks, blundered.

I shake my head. "No, Tris, it's completely okay. I don't mind." I look over at her and smile. "Get comfortable, it'll be a while."

"Do you mind if I play some of my music?" she asks. "I don't really know what you listen to anymore. What genre?"

I shrug. "Rock, mainly."

"Really?" she perks up. "What bands? Give me your top five."

"Well, my number one would definitely be Metallica, then Guns n Roses, then Pearl Jam, then Nirvana, then Three Days Grace, then Breaking Benjamin. I know that's six, but I love Breaking Benjamin." I shrug.

"Really?" She chuckles. "Your first four were older rock bands, then you have Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin, which are modern rock."

"I know, but I like some newer stuff that's not about sex," I say with a laugh. "Although Metallica doesn't really do that."

"True. My top five are Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Shinedown, and Evanescence. Then Metallica for my number six. Metallica is truly a legend, I can't _not _put them in there. What's your favorite song of all time?"

"Well, you probably don't know it because it's not a very popular song by them, but it's 'Dance With—"

"'Dance With the Devil'?!" Tris exclaims, almost jumping out of her seat.

"No way. There's no way you know that song. Nobody knows that song!" I smile.

"Whoever doesn't know that song hasn't lived," Tris says with a mock seriousness in her voice.

I shake my head. "I still can't believe it. _Nobody_ knows that song and yet my best friend is just as obsessed with it as I am."

"Well, we totally need to rock out to it on the way there, what do you think?" she says with a wicked grin.

"I'm all for it, as long as you don't make fun of my singing." I smile.

"Have I ever?" She mirrors my expression and hooks her bluetooth up to the car and turns it up loud as possible as she turns our favorite song on.

When the chorus comes on, we both are screaming the lyrics at the tops of our lungs, no matter how off-key we seem to be.

When the end is reached, we both start laughing hysterically.

"Oh my god," I say, almost crying. "Reason #1 why I love you."

"Reason #1 why I love me too," she responds, still laughing.

"I'm serious," I say with only a smile left. "You really make me happy. And I'm kind of afraid of that."

Her laughter dies down to just a smile towards me. She quirks her head to the side. "Why would you be afraid of that, Tobias?"

"Why wouldn't I be afraid of someone who controls how I feel every second, minute, hour of the day?" I ask her with a small smile and short glance.

"That's a good point. But you know I'd never intentionally hurt you, right?"

I shrug. "Yeah, I know, but it doesn't change the fact that I have a right to be scared of you." I laugh.

"Aw, Tobias, I scare you?" she asks and grabs my arm, rubbing it up and down.

"Not like that, Tris. Not physically, but mentally. You completely change my demeanor just by talking to me. I was having a really shitty morning until I called you, and one of my employees even noticed that I was exceptionally happier. All because of you." I look over at her and smile. I reach over and grab her hand.

Oh shit. Was that too ballsy?

But I feel her fingers entwine with mine, eradicating my previous thoughts' doubts.

"I love you too, Tobias. More than anything," she says while staring outside the window, not looking at me.

"Look me in the eye and tell me that you really mean what you just said, Tris."

"But you're driving," she says blatantly.

"This is a four-lane highway that nobody ever uses anymore. Plus it'll only be three seconds." I look at Tris dead in the eye.

"I love you too, Tobias. More than anything," she says, confident, and matter-of-factly.

I sigh. "That almost seemed believable."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Tobias P.O.V.**

"Tobias, this place is for children," Tris says once we walk inside the place full of children, trampolines, screams, and birthday kazoos.

"C'mon," I say.

She rolls her eyes. "Are you sure we should really be jumping around with little kids on trampolines?" she asks hesitantly.

"Tris. We're fine," I say and grab her a hand. Which, surprisingly, she doesn't recoil or pull back in disgust, like how I thought she would. She just stares straight towards the front of the line as we wait, and entwines them.

Of course we're still friends, though. We did this all the time in high school. All of her boyfriends would get so mad, it was ridiculous.

But it doesn't change the fact that I'm savoring it. The feel of her hand in mine. The closeness of her body. The scent of her hair. The angel-like, soothing tone she never stops using, as if she can't stop. As if it's just natural. Which it probably is. The way she bites her lip when. I don't know why she's doing that though; she says she does it when she's nervous. The way her eyes are everywhere, as if she can't focus on just one crazy thing happening around us. The way her eyes run wild a the behest of movement. The way her eyes light up when she sees the foam pit of cubes to jump in. Her eyes eyes alone are a whole other being. Her eyes speak more than her heart or mind ever could, if I had to guess. Either that or I can read her like a book. Usually I can read people like a Chinese slogan, but with Tris, it's the exact opposite. Maybe it's the fact that I've known her since pre-school, or maybe I happen to be one of those guys that doesn't care about what she looks like. I care about Tris's happiness and I'm a good listener, unlike most of the population of the world.

"Tobias?" Tris asks as we take off our shoes.

"Hm?" I turn my head toward her as we sit on the bench. I'm done taking off my shoes, so I'm sitting with my elbows on my knees and my hands in my face.

"You know what you remind me off?" she says with a silly smirk and mirroring my position.

"What's that?" I ask, copying her expression with the silly smirk.

"A cactus. You're kind of a dick on the outside—and I refuse to say 'no offense,' because I don't care whether or not you take offense to it—but you're a softy on the inside. Like how you were in high school." She shrugs. "I don't know. I feel like don't see the inside of you that much, and that makes me sad," she says, as a small, sad smile begins to play on her face. "I kind of just want the old you back. I wasn't so much as mad as I was sad when I yelled at you. I was sad you hated yourself, because I think you're perfect the way you are."

I smile and shake my head. "I'm trying, Tris. I promise you, I really am, because I don't want you to be upset over me."

"It's okay. I just don't want to get too out of touch with the old you, you know?"

"I know, Tris, and you have every right to be upset. But I just want you to get to know me better. The newer me, with a little bit of old me. How's that?" I ask with a smile.

She beams. "I think I'll like that."

"Alrighty, let's go get to that foam pit."

**-Friday-**

"Tobias! Guess what today's date is!" Tris asks as soon as I answer the phone at 5:59 A.M., still groggy with sleep since she woke me up a minute before my alarm goes off.

"Um… I don't know. I take it that I'm supposed to?"

"Oh my god," Tris says quietly. "You really don't know, do you?"

I say nothing.

"Call me when you figure it out, asshole," she says, sadness obviously present in her voice.

Then, immediately after the call, I get a text saying,_ Sorry. Shouldn't have called you asshole. But seriously, Tobias, that hurt._

_I'm sorry. Was it the day we met? The day I told you I loved you? The day we get married in the future?_

_You wish. And no, none of the above._

_C'mon, Tris! It's killing me._

_It's killing me too, Tobias._

_Tris._

I receive no response within the next few minutes.

_Tris Prior._

Again, I get nothing back.

_Prior._

_Goddammit, Eaton, you have to earn the right to call me that._

_How do I earn it?_

_You have to start being the guy you used to be._

_I thought I started doing that last night!_

_You tried, and I appreciate that. But I want you to be 75% the old you, 25% the new you. I do have the perks of other girls thinking I'm your girlfriend, so usually I won't have to deal with girls flirting with you. But then you have the ones that are whores and don't care whether or not you have a girlfriend. I hate those girls._

_Me too. You could always 'pretend' to be my girlfriend ;)_

_Nice try, Tobias. Once you decide to start being 75% Tobias and 25% Eaton, maybe I won't have to pretend._

_Is that a promise?_

_Sure isn't. Only you can make that happen. I can only encourage it. _

_True. But can you tell me exactly what qualities I had all those years ago?_

_Well, you were kind, you made a great pillow, you weren't as tense, you didn't have a care in the world, you always lived in the moment, and you didn't care about what would come of anything._

_I can still make a great pillow, you know._

_I bet you can't with those rock-hard abs of yours._

_Maybe you should come and see for yourself. _

_Maybe one day. _

If anyone looked at these messages, I bet they'd say we were flirting, but I can't help but feel like everything is different between us. Our conversation is just us talking, nothing more, because we've always been like this. It's just how we talk. We've always been that way.

_You wish you could get this._

I send the message, but then realize it's something Eaton would say, not Tobias.

I quickly recover with, _Jk. I know you don't want this. _

I get up and wait for Tris's response as I get dressed.

_There's the Tobias I know and love. But I still get to call you Eaton._

_I have no problem with that._

By eight o'clock, I'm still texting Tris, and I still haven't found out what todays's date means.

_Aren't you supposed to be working or something, because, oh, I don't know, you have a job?_

_Tris. I'm my own boss, might I remind you. _

_Oh yeah. But don't you think you should be working rather than texting your crush?_

_Crush? Really? I think we both know it's more than that. _

_I know. _

_And I don't technically have to be working unless one of my employees has a question. And you are my soon to be employee. This is our over-the-phone interview. _

_I could literally be the worst personal trainer ever, but just because I'm your best friend I get hired?_

_I know that you're good at what you do. Plus you hate working at the bar. So…what do you say?_

_Are you seriously asking me to work for you?_

_Is that a bad thing? I don't like you working at the bar. It makes me uneasy, especially after the whole Peter incident. _

_Hang on. I'm on my way. _

If I got to work with her, that'd be a dream come true for me. I know she's not one of those people that doesn't care about her job. She really cares about others' well-being, which is why she chose the profession she did.

I walk into the staff break room and all goes quiet. I walk to the fridge and pull out a water bottle.

I laugh. "You guys, I'm not scary, I promise."

All eight of the personal trainers sigh with relief.

"I just came in here to tell you we will probably be having a new personal trainer, like yourselves. And since you all are men and I got no applications for women here, it'll be nice having her around, especially since we still get women who train here. No sexual harassment, either, or else you will be fired. And I mean that. Do you understand me?"

They all stiffly nod.

And then you have Jim.

"Boss here just doesn't want you flirting with her because he's in love with her," says Jim.

I wear a small smile. "Yeah, yeah, I am, but we aren't a thing. So if she flirts with you, I guess I can't do anything about it." I shrug.

"We all have girlfriends anyway, right?" Matt asks as he looks around. Every guy nods. "Plus, we'd all be too afraid of you to actually flirt back, even if she did flirt first."

"You've got nothing to worry about, man," Jake says.

"Thanks, guys. I appreciate it."

"Appreciate what?" Tris asks as she enters the room in track pants and a tank top. with her hair pulled up, along with sneakers.

"They said they'd make you feel right at home once you start working here." I smirk.

"I never accepted that offer, you know," she points out.

"True, but I know you will. By the way, this is Connor, Jake, Jim, Matt, Donny, Cody, Wyatt, and Raekwon."

Tris laughs. "Seriously? The first seven names were, like, total white boy names. And then you have Raekwon. I like it," she says, putting her hand out to shake. He takes it, quirking one eyebrow up. "I'm Tris."

Raekwon nods. He can be a fairly scary guy being African-American and a low voice. He rarely speaks, according to the rest of them, but I've only heard him talk in his interview. Apparently they've never heard him say anything. Then he smiles. "I like you." When he says it, his voice rumbles against the walls in the room.

"What the hell?" Jim exclaims.

"He speaks!" Matt exclaims.

Raekwon glares. "So, Tris, you're thinking about working here?"

"Yeah. I'm going to school right now and working at The Pit, so that sucks. I'm going to college, so I figured I may as well ask Four for a job." She turns to me so her back is turned to the guys, then she winks, probably wanting me to play along.

"What are you studying to be? A fashion designer for Nike?" Donny asks. Sexist bastard.

"Actually, yes. Except I want to design for Under Armor.

"You're studying to be a… _designer_?" asks Wyatt.

"Yeah," she says as she twirls her hair and bites her lip.

"So why are you working here, then?" Matt asks.

She shrugs. "Kind of sick of the bar."

"Oh my god," Connor mumbles with his hands in his face.

"You all are sexist bastards." Tris laughs. "I'm a personal trainer who can kick the tiny little balls off of you. Except Raekwon. He's the only who seemed to notice I was faking it."

"I can read people." He shrugs.

"Seriously, if any of you ever try to pull anything, you'll be getting your asses kicked." She sweetly smiles.

"Yes, ma'am," they all mutter.

"So, Eaton, care to show me around?"

"Of course." I nod my head towards the door. "Hang on, Tris, I'll be right out."

She shuts the door behind her.

"So, how do you guys like her?" I ask quietly.

"I see why you like her," Matt says with a shrug.

"Don't mess with her. It won't be the first time she knocks someone out." I walk out the room, leaving them to converse.

"So," I say to Tris, "I have a feeling you'll be working here?"

"Why would I want to be around you all day? Ugh," she says with her nose scrunched up.

"Because I'm your best friend and you love me?" I ask as I sling an arm around her shoulder.

"Both true, but you still haven't figured out what today's date is," she says desolately.

"I know, I know, but can you please tell me? I'll buy you dinner," I say sweetly.

"You always do that anyway." She chuckles.

"So, Tris, what is today?"

"July 17th."

"Yeah, I know, but what happened today between us?"

"Nothing. It's July 17th." She smiles.

"But you said something happened on this day!" I exclaim with a small laugh.

"Ah, ah, ah, I just asked you what today's date is." Her smile turns evil.

"You are so evil! And clever! Damn! I'll get you back, _Prior._"

"Tobias. Not that nickname." She pauses, then she adds, "So, am I good enough for the job?"

"I suppose you are." I shrug. "So, am I good enough to get to call you Prior?"

She smirks. "Keep dreaming."

_So I need you all to honestly answer this question:_

_This actually applies to the story, I promise._

_Pancakes or waffles?_

_Anything and everything helps!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_*KEEP IN MIND TOBIAS KNOWS NOTHING OF TRIS'S PAST WITH ALCOHOL.*_

_Also I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter :) We got 30 got of em! I'm hoping we can reach 100 this chapter? If you love me? _

**Tobias P.O.V.**

**-Friday night-**

"Hey, Zeke, can you come over? I have the strange urge to get drunk."

"Yeah, of course man, let me tell Shauna. Shauna!" he yells. "I'm going over to Four's!"

I hear a muffled, "Okay!" come from the other line.

"Alright. Should be over soon."

I wait on my couch with a beer in my hand over the next ten minutes, waiting for him to arrive.

I hear a knock on the door and yell for him come in. Weird. Typically Zeke just barges in.

"Um, hi," I hear a feminine voice say. "Zeke said you needed someone to talk to, so he told me to come over because we needed 'bonding time,'" Tris says using finger quotes with that cute smile of hers.

"Oh. Okay."

"Don't get too excited, geez, Tobias," Tris mumbles as she takes off her shoes. She mumbles something else, but I'm not quite sure what it was.

"No, I kind of just wanted to talk to Zeke." I shrug. "But I guess you're okay." I smirk. "Would you like a drink?"

Her eyes go wide and she takes a deep breath. "I, uh. Sure."

I get up and motion for her to follow me into the kitchen. I open the fridge and motion to the broad selection. "What would you like?"

She comes up to the open fridge and takes a beer, surprisingly, because women typically tend to drink wine or margaritas.

"What? Never seen a girl drink a beer?" she asks with a scoff.

"I have, it's just rare." I shrug.

"I'll give you that," she says. "So, Eaton, what did you want to talk to Zeke about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just kind of guys night, y'know? Laid back."

She nods. "But I'm better than Zeke," she says, winking, then makes her way back to the living room.

I shake my head and follow her. That girl. She has no idea what something like that could make my mind conjure up. It makes my head twist and turn… Go around in circles, making me contemplate everything I've ever said to her.

"So, how about we do a little old fashioned one on one truth or dare?" she asks.

"Are you serious?" I laugh.

"Why not?" she asks with a goofy smile.

"Truth or dare, Tris?" I ask, wearing the same expression.

"Let's go with dare."

"I dare you to… chug two beers in a row," I challenge.

"That's nothin', Eaton," she says, but her eyes tell a different story. One completely opposite of her words. She finishes the beer in her hand and the full one in mine.

I get up and get two fresh ones from the kitchen.

"Truth or dare, Eaton," she asks, twisting the cap off.

I shrug. "Truth."

"Tell me why you are in love with me. Tell me why it has to be me of all people. There are prettier women, Tobias, and much smarter, funnier girls, who'd be extremely glad to take you in their arms. So tell me why it has to be me."

"Well, for one, you're absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, independent, strong, kind, a total genius, and you are my best friend, so I know exactly who you are, even when you don't. That's why I'm in love with you." I beam.

She rolls her eyes. "Well, that was very heart-warming to my frozen soul." She chuckles.

"Well, once we're both in hell we'll be burning up," I say with a laugh ingrained in my voice.

"Aw, you're coming to hell with me? How thoughtful," she says as she pretends to wipe a tear from her eye.

"Anyway, truth or dare?" I ask.

"Truth."

"What do you look for in a guy?"

"Well he has to be kind, athletic, smart, trustworthy, honest, loyal, caring, somewhat selfless, and funny."

"Don't I have all of those things?" I ask quietly while looking toward the black TV.

"Tobias… you're my best friend. And you were gone for five years! The only reason I even knew you were alive was the fact that you were on the cover of _Time Magazine._ Do you know how proud I was to say that you were my best friend? That my best friend was one of the youngest, most successful businessmen in the world? Tobias, how do you expect us to pick up exactly where we left off? How can you expect that from me, let alone fall in love with you within a week?" she asks exasperatedly.

Then, quietly as can be, I say, "I know. I know that, Tris, but it doesn't change the fact that it still hurts. It hurts that I have all of those qualities and you still won't give me a chance because of our past."

"Tobias, I'm not giving you a chance because I don't like who you've become. I'm not dwelling on the past, I'm dwelling on the fact that you've become… Eaton. I just want the old you back. And, I don't know, maybe a part of wants to wait for a while and then actually give you a chance someday, but for now, I seriously just need you to wait awhile. I'm not guaranteeing anything, but… just wait a short period of time. For me, okay? I'm still trying to figure everything out." She sighs.

I nod and stay silent for a few minutes. Then, "So. This short period of time. Could you possibly estimate how long this short period of time is?" I ask with a silly grin.

"Nah… I think I'm going to put you through the torture of wondering when it could possibly be. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe a week, maybe two weeks, maybe a month. You'll never know." She grins wickedly.

"Tris. Are you serious?" I ask with a laugh present in my voice.

She nods. "I'm a bitch like that."

"You're not a bitch. I don't fall in love with bitches. How about we make a deal?"

"Depends. What kind of deal?" She raises an eyebrow.

"If you tell me how long I _hypothetically_ have to wait, I'll tell you what I was going to tell Zeke." I put one hand behind my back and cross my fingers. I'd have done that back in high school, too.

"Deal. You first."

"Ah, ah, ah, Trissy, I don't think so."

She rolls her eyes. "Fine. Maybe a month or so?"

"I'll be countin' down the days," I say with a wink.

"Your turn," she says with a tip of her beer.

"No, it isn't." I pull out my hand from behind my back to reveal my crossed fingers.

"Oh my god!" She gets up from the floor and punches my shoulder since I'm lying down on the couch. "You asshole! I can't believe I didn't catch that! You'd always do that in high school."

Since my legs are taking up the whole couch, she sits on the opposite end and entangles our legs.

"I'm actually surprised you didn't remember how often I cross my fingers." I shrug with a smirk planted on my face.

A few hours later and a few beers later, Tris and I are both tipsy, but not drunk, so we still have control over what we say and do.

She is currently eating ice cream straight from the carton on the floor at the foot of my bed while I lie on my stomach, face next to hers.

"Want some more?" she asks.

"No, a pint is my limit." I wave her off.

"Well, excuse me if I'm not one of your stick models," she scoffs. "I'm Tobias Eaton, I hang out with Donald Trump and other big Wall Street New York people," she says as a mock impression of me using a low voice.

"Hey, hey, that was one time!" I laugh.

"So, is your life as amazing as you thought it'd be?"

"I always thought my life would be amazing if I had a great career, money… The truth is… I love it. Especially the money." I smirk jokingly. "What about you? Where do you see yourself in ten years?"

"Well, I see myself getting married, raising a family, and training others."

I stare at her for a second with a small smile.

"What?"

"It's getting pretty late. Let me take you home."

"Or…" She takes another spoon of Vanilla ice cream. "I could sleep over like the good old times."

My eyebrows rise, but I still lift a shoulder. "Okay."

"Can I borrow one of your shirts?"

"Of course."

Minutes later, she comes out of the bathroom in my shirt. _Just _my shirt. And underwear, I'm assuming.

As I sit on my bed, I say, "Wow. Okay, um, I'll take the couch."

"No, silly, we'll just share a bed." She hops on and gets under the covers.

I follow, doing the same, her laughing, and I turn off the lamp.

She turns toward me on her side and lays a hand on my chest.

I cover her hand and smile at her for a few minutes.

She finally flips around, her back facing mine, us a foot apart.

After awhile, she says, "Tobias, can you put your feet on mine? They're freezing."

I smile. "Of course." I do as instructed, but I wrap my arms around her waist, too, which she doesn't seem to mind.

What's going to happen tomorrow?

Then I realize something. Her feet aren't cold.

**Tris P.O.V.**

"We had an amazing time last night, and we were laughing, and telling jokes…"

"Did he try anything?" Marlene is the first to speak out Shauna, Christina, and her.

"No," I sigh.

"Did you try anything?" Shauna asks.

"No," I sigh again. "But I put myself out there! I wore one his old, big shirts, and we slept in the _same bed_, and I even tried the whole cold feet thing!"

**Tobias P.O.V.**

**(I'm totally doing the character switch thing they do in movies)**

"What's wrong with you, why didn't you sleep with her?" Uriah asks, out of him, Zeke and Will.

I pace, back and forth across my living room.

"I don't know. I don't know! She didn't make a move, so she's not into me yet, I guess."

"Dude, she practically threw herself at you," Zeke says.

"But she says she doesn't like me," I point out.

"Maybe she's in denial?" Will suggests.

"Will, you're a genius," says Uriah. "That has to be it."

**Tris P.O.V.**

"Tris. You're acting like you like him," Chris says with a smile.

"Oh my god. You like him!" Shauna squeals.

"What? No, I don't. He's my best friend. I don't like Eaton. I can't like him. I _don't_ like him." I laugh.

"Yes, you totally do." Marlene.

"Do you even hear yourself?" Shauna.

"You're definitely in that stage of denial." Chris.

**Tobias P.O.V.**

"She has to be in denial, Four," Zeke says.

"Or maybe she just doesn't like me." I sigh.

"Were you even present at last night's events?" Will asks with a small chuckle.  
>"Seriously, man," Uriah says.<p>

"Maybe I can ask Christina what all Tris is saying? We all know how much Chris loves to gossip. Mar and Shauna probably won't confide in us because they actually keep secrets."

**Tris P.O.V.**

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. Maybe I just don't compare to all these other pretty girls that want him and maybe he just doesn't like me anymore. Maybe he was in love with the idea of me."

"What? That's crazy, Tris!" Chris exclaims.

"He's still falling for you, not the idea of you," Shauna says, "and that's the way it's always been."

**Tobias P.O.V.**

"I was about to make a move, and then it just hits me: What's going to happen tomorrow? If we _slept _together, what would happen today? Would we go back to being just friends? Would we be friends with benefits? Would we be a couple?"

"Dude, you're overthinking this," Uriah says.

"I can't just sleep with her, Uriah. We have a history…" I kick on of the empty beer cans on the floor. I grunt out, "We—we're friends." And then I scream.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_So, DoctorFangirlOfIllea asked me on the topic of whether or not I'm planning on writing a new story after this. I definitely am, and I definitely have an idea. But, sadly I cannot reveal my plans. Only three people know as of now._

**-Next Friday-**

**Tobias P.O.V. **

"Hm, let's see what we've got here," I mumble to myself as I scroll on my computer.

_She always returns your text—quicker than you do hers._

Tris often texts back just as quick as I do.

_She often finds excuses to touch you. As if she were telling joke, and touches your arm while laughing._

Is it just me, or does this explain Tris?

_Suddenly, you're the funniest one of the group._

She does laugh at my jokes often…

_She wants to know what goes on in your life. She wants to be updated._

We certainly talk every day.

_If her hand often brushes against yours, she wants you to hold it._

We often hold hands.

_"Just getting comfortable," she says when she wants to snuggle._

Been there, done that.

I am pathetic. Zeke told me to look up some dumbass bullshit website for advice on whether or not a girl likes you. Supposedly it helped Zeke ask out Shauna. So I guess it's not dumb or bullshit. Tris and I's situation is different though. We act like a couple, except we don't kiss, when I think about it.

I just need to not think about it.

But, of course, Tris is knocking on my door frame at work. I quickly minimize the screen and look up.

"Hey, what—"

"So, I had this great idea and I don't want to lose it, so sorry for interrupting you. But what if we had a party with all of our friends at your house since my apartment is so small? But there'd be a twist. We have a contest on who makes the best pancakes, then, when we're done, we start a war with it in the kitchen, but only you and I are in on it. I'll totally help you clean up," she says with a bright and excited smile. How can I say no to that face?

"I don't think so, Tris," I saay, rather than no.

"But, Tobias—!"

"We're using waffles." I smirk.

"But pancakes are better," she whines.

"My house, my rules."

She sighs. "Fine. I don't even understand why you like those stupid things anyway," she says quickly and sticks her tongue out. She knows how I feel about waffles. I'll eat pancakes, but I prefer waffles. Immensely. Just after, she runs out of my office.

I spin out of my swivel chair, quickly running after her. She may have more petite legs than I do, but she can run extremely fast since she doesn't weigh much. Unlike her, I have long legs, but a bigger body mass. But we even out to run at the same pace. I see her run into the staff break room and close the door, most likely locking it.

I laugh. She can be so daft sometimes. I get out my keychain of every key and find the one that belongs to the break room. I open the door to see Tris wide-eyed and drinking a water bottle. She sets down the water bottle and puts her hands up in surrender. Since there's nobody else in here, I close the door and walk toward her. She slowly backs away, smiling. She looks past me, evilly grinning. I turn around, seeing what she's evilly grinning at.

Then, I see whipped cream, syrup, and pancakes being thrown into my face by Raekwon.

"Pancakes for life, bitch!" Tris yells.

I slowly wipe the whipped cream off my face, but there's a ton of syrup on my shirt. I walk over Tris and enclose her in whipped-creamiest, syrup-iest, most pancake-iest hug ever.

"Oh my god, To—Four! I can't believe you!" She tries to shove me off by pushing my chest, but ends up getting syrup on her hands.

I lean down and wipe my cheek on hers, getting whipped cream on her whole face. I pull back and wipe a bit of whipped cream off her nose and lick it. "Hm. Revenge sure is sweet, isn't it?"

"Fuck you," she growls.

"Maybe one day," I say, grinning, then I wink and walk out of the office.

I hear a frustrated grunt come from the room, then footsteps coming toward me, but I don't turn. Tris jumps on my back, wrapping her legs around my waist. I grab her thighs to keep her up. I'm giving my best friend a piggyback ride. Dear god, what has the world come to?

She whispers in my ear, "You're right, waffles are pretty amazing. I just wanted a reason to smack you in the face with pancakes."

I carry her into my office, closing the door behind me. She jumps off, and I immediately begin to tickle her sides. She falls to the ground, laughing hysterically.

"Tobias! Tobias!" she giggles. "St-stop." She laughs.

"Beg for—"

There is one knock on the door and the person immediately barges in, walking in on me tickling Tris.

"Hey, Fo—is this a bad time?" Zeke asks with a laugh.

"Oh my god, Zeke," Tris says breathlessly as she gets up. "I'm pretty sure he was about to kill me," she huffs.

"Was not," I say. "What's up, Zeke?"

"Well I was going to ask you if you wanted to go to the bar, but unless you have plans…?" Zeke asks with a look a between me and Tris.

"Actually, we all have plans. Four and I are having a waffle party at his house tonight.

Speaking of which, I should probably text everyone," Tris says.

"And what is all over you guys' shirts?" he asks with a chuckle.

I wave him off. "Long story. Tell you later."

**—**

"Okay, four teams. Couple are together then Four and I will be a team," Tris says.

"So all couples will be together?" Uriah clarifies.

"No, all couples, then Four and me."

"So, all couples?"

"_No_, the rest of you are in a relationship, while Four and I are not, so the couples, then Four and I are a team," Tris says, frustrated.

"You guys are practically a couple, you just don't kiss." Uri smirks.

Tris not-so-subtly rolls her eyes. "Okay, so since everybody has contributed and has brought their _waffle _makers—"

"Woah, woah, there, Tris. Why aren't we using pancakes?" Zeke questions.

"Well, Four's house, Four's rules," Tris points at me with her thumb. "I suggested pancakes, but no, Four Eaton is just too good for those."

I throw my hands in the air, as if I'm being arrested. "Waffles are better. Always have been, always will be."

"Don't lie to yourself, Eaton." Tris glares.

"Anyway," I continue, ignoring Tris for probably the first time in my life, "the judge will be Raekwon, a guy Tris and I work with. We have bought several boxes of mix, and whoever makes the best _waffles_ will win."

"What do you get if we win?" Will asks.

"Well," I say, "you get to win of course."

Everyone chuckles.

"Let's get this show on the road. You have fifteen minutes. Everything in the pantry and fridge is available to you. And… begin!" I yell as I start the timer and set it on top of the fridge.

Everybody scurries to their station, starting the batter and trying to get to the sink to water the powdery mix, while Tris and I head to the fridge to get strawberries and whipped cream, on her part. She knew they'd be the first pick out of our friends, and we know Rae—or RaeRae, as Tris likes to call him—is fond of them. We get out my classiest plate because she knew it'd also be the first pick. I start the batter, which is fairly simple, while Tris adds her magic touch to the strawberries. I don't know what on Earth she did to them, but she did something amazing. I pour the batter in the machine and set some of Tris's magical strawberries on top of it, letting them sink into the batter. After three minutes, I flip it over and wait.

I step over to where Tris is doing her strawberry thing and whisper, "It's time."

She subtly nods, not glancing at me. She takes our extra bowl of batter, and swiftly walks over to Zeke and Shauna, who are next to us, and dumps a third of it onto their heads, then does the same to Uri, Mar, Chris, and Will.

"We never said anything about sabotage!" Tris shouts over all of their protests. "Tobias," she says to me quietly, "guard me while I finish everything." I nod, quickly taking the first waffle off of its maker and placing it in the center of the plate. I stand guard, blocking off anyone who tries to come near our plate or Tris.

Over the next ten minutes, we have our three waffles neatly stacked on top of each other with strawberries lying on the top waffle, along with the whipped cream. Along the circumference of the plate, she places her delectable strawberries, adding a touch of classiness.

"Tris, this looks great," I say, just as the timer goes off. "Time's up! Hands off everything!"

Everybody backs away from their plates, hands raised, giving me a better view of their dishes. it looks like Shauna and Zeke—or Team Amazingness, as Zeke likes to call them—made chocolate chip, Mar and Uri—or Team Wafflio, as Uri likes the call them—made blueberry, and Chris and Will—or Team Cinnalicious, as Chris likes to call them—made cinnamon waffles. I think our only real competitor is Team Cinnalicious because they actually look pretty appetizing. Well, that, and Raekwon doesn't like chocolate or blueberries. I remember Tris distinctly telling me he told her he hated those two things, which sucks for Teams Wafflio and Amazingness.

I throw Tris a smug smirk, and I know she's thinking the same thing.

"We're Team… Friendzone," I say with a chuckle.

She scoffs with a smile. "No, we're Team… Sexual Demon. Team Sexual Demon." She laughs hysterically, and I copy.

"No way. How about Team… Dauntless," I say with a shrug.

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"Brave. Courageous. Valiant. Etc."

"I see. I like it. Where'd you find that fancy word?"

"The dictionary," I snicker. "But I actually heard it from a smart friend of mine from NY."

"Oh. Okay." Then, "Alright, let's get to RaeRae's!" she shouts. "It's one street down, so we can walk. I trust you all not to drop your plates."

We all walk out outside and onto the sidewalk.

"So," Tris says, "why did you name your company 'RedBulb'? I've been meaning to ask."

"Well, funny story actually," I say with a chuckle. "I could only afford red lightbulbs for the first one I opened in NY, so I kind of came up with the name RedBulb. Kind of thought it was catchy, but it still stands out, you know?"

She nods and smiles. "We should go sometime. To New York. You know, introduce me to Donald Trump," she teases.

I roll my eyes. "One time. That was one time."

"Or maybe we can be on the cover of _Time Magazine_ for making the best waffles in the world." She chuckles.

"We could easily accomplish that."

"I was joking, but okay," she says, smile present on her face.

We approach Raekwon's house.

Tris knocks on his door, and a woman who looks about 26 or 27—presumably his wife—answers. Her eyebrows crease and she smiles. "Um, how can I help you?"

"We're here to see Raekwon," Tris says. "I'm a friend from work, and this is his boss Four," she says, glancing at me. "I'm Tris." She puts our her hand, holding the waffles in one and the other shaking the woman's hand.

"I'm Melanie, Rae's wife. May I ask why you all have waffles?" she asks while she opens the door more so we can step in.

"Well, I guess you will see," says Tris.

"Honey," Melanie shouts, "there are people here that come with waffles!"

Raekwon comes down the stairs carrying his daughter, Melody, if I recall correctly, who looks about three or four.

"Oh my gosh, Rae! You never told me you had a daughter! And a cute one at that!" Tris exclaims, admiring Melody. "What's your name? I'm Tris," she asks the toddler.

"I Melody." She smiles.

"Hi, Melody." Tris grins, totally beaming. "You're a very cute little girl."

"Thank you." Melody shyly smiles.

"So," Raekwon says, "you've come bearing my waffles?" He gives a small smile.

Tris nods.

"Come to the kitchen." Raekwon sets Melody down and leads us.

Melody is walking next to me, so I say, "Hi, Melody, I'm Four."

She scrunches her nose. "You don't look four."

I shake my head, smiling. "No, my name is Four."

"But four is a number, right?" She cocks her head to the side.

I nod. "It is. But I have weird name. I like yours though."

"Thanks!" She skips over to her dad, lifting her arms.

He lifts her up onto the counter and she swings her legs.

"Melanie, my dear friends from work named Tris and Four asked me if I could be the judge for their waffle-making contest, I of course said yes, which is why they are here. I forgot to tell you. I'm sorry. But now we get free waffles." He smiles. "Who are your friends?" Raekwon asks Tris.

"Well, this is Uriah and Marlene, who are Team Wafflio, then Zeke and Shauna, who are Team Amazingness, then Will and Christinia, who are Team Cinnalicious. Then Four and I who are Team Dauntless."

"You and Four already win because you have the best team name," he jokes. "Alrighty, let's test these babies."

We wall set down our plates on the counter and stand in front of them. First is Chris and Will.

His eyes light up in surprise once he tastes it. "Not bad," he mumbles.

He then moves on to Mar and Uri, scrunching his nose as he chews. "Well, for one, they're burnt, and two I hate blueberries."

Then Zeke and Shauna. Again , he scrunches his nose and shakes his head. "I hate hate _hate _chocolate. I don't even know why I tried it."

Then us. He takes a bite, eyes lighting up. "This extremely good. Who did the strawberries? They taste different, but a good different." He takes another bite.

Tris raises her hand.

"Four, did you even do anything?"

"Um… I made the batch of batter. And hosted the party." I chuckle.

Raekwon looks at Tris, then me, than back to Tris again. "Nice job, Tris."

He steps back and smiles. "The winner is…" he pauses dramatically long time, as if he were on TV. "Tris."

I hear multiple, "What?!"s and "Favoritism!"s come from our friends.

He shrugs. "Four, my man, you may be my boss, but did you honestly do anything to those waffles?"

I shake my head and laugh. "No, she did all the magic."

"Then, I officially declare Tris Prior the queen of waffles."

Melody jumps off of the counter and comes over with one of her toy plastic tiaras with pink feathers and reaches her arms up, saying she wants to put it on Tris.

Tris crouches down, squatting, and ducks her head, letting Melody put it on.

"Thank you so much, Melody!" Tris claps her hands together once.

Melody lifts her arms up again, motioning for Tris to pick her up.

Tris grabs her waist and pulls her up, resting her on her hip. Tris is so damn cute.

We leave soon after, letting Raekwon eat the rest of the waffles.

Tris takes off the tiara as soon as we walk out the door. "That thing was squeezing my brain into mush, I swear." She rubs her head wear the tiara pressed the most.

"You seem really good with kids. I remember you saying you wanted a family. How many kids?"

"Three. Two girls and a boy." She smiles.

"Really? Me too."

"Hm," Tris says with something in her voice that I just can't place.

"So, everybody has their dream names for their kids. What are yours?" I ask.

"Brooklyn, Rain, and Mitchell. I know, I know, Rain is a weird name, but I like it. I'd probably make it her middle name. What about you?"

I nod. "Mine would probably be Jo for the girl, BelleAnne, and Nathan."

She nods. "Maybe one day you can make a compromise with your wife." She smiles.

I smile, copying her. "You know, I think I want my kids' names to be Brooklyn Rain, Jo Belle, and Nathan Mitchell."

"Tobias." She laughs and shakes her head. "How do you know you're in love with me? What if you're in love with the old me?"

"Because I'm still getting to know the new you, and I fall in love with you even more each and every time I see you."

"But how do you know?" she presses.

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_Extra long chapter at 3,000 words! It's a good thing I love you all._

**Tobias P.O.V.**

**-Four weeks later-**

As I pack my bag, I think about what we'll be doing tonight. Chris got us a vacation lake house on the shore of Lake Michigan, just outside of Chicago. Said it was very peaceful and was surrounded by woods. Doesn't sound like her thing, but I guess she went there every year as a kid and her parents didn't want to go this year. I'm going because Tris is going, to be honest. Maybe I can finally grow the balls to kiss her. After all, it has been a month, or a "short period of time," as Tris likes to call it. If you ask me, it's been the worst and longest month of my life. And who knows, maybe she'll even kiss me back.

Fail rate: 100%. That's a given.

Tris is riding in my car, and we're following Chris, Will, Zeke, and Shauna who are in one car, then Uriah and Marlene are driving separately. We'd ride with Uri and Mar, but both of our cars are two-seaters.

I finish packing and carry my duffel to the car, throwing it into the trunk. We all decided to meet at Tris's apartment since it's centrally located between all of our houses. Usually I'd walk there, but we're leaving from her place, so I have to drive.

I get in, turning the keys in the ignition. I make the short drive and end up being the last one there.

I walk into her apartment without knocking and everyone's eyes turn on me.

"Four, you're late!" Chris exclaims.

I look at my watch. "By five minutes," I say incredulously.

She rolls her eyes then says, "Whatever. Let's just get going." She stands up and begins walking toward the door, and everyone else follows.

Tris and I are the only ones left in the apartment, and she has a large black duffel strapped across her shoulder.

"Here," I say and reach out, grabbing the bag off of her shoulder. I throw it over my shoulder and walk out.

Tris catches up. "Don't worry about Chris. She always overreacts about everything." She rolls her eyes.

I shrug. "It doesn't matter." I pop the trunk and put her bag in it. Then I go around to her side, opening the door for her.

She gets in and I walk around to my side.

"Do you mind if I play my music?" she asks.

"Not at all."

She hooks up her phone and turns it on shuffle.

**_*PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING LYRICS. THEY ARE SO PERFECT THEY WANT TO MAKE ME CRY (I'd also highly recommend listening to the actual song. It's called Skin by Sixx A.M.)*_**

_Paint yourself a picture_

_Of what you wish you looked like_

_Maybe then they just might_

_Feel an ounce of your pain_

_Come into focus_

_Step out of the shadows_

_It's a losing battle_

_There's no need to be ashamed_

_'Cause they don't even know you_

_All they see is scars_

_They don't see the angel_

_Living in your heart_

_Let them find the real you_

_Buried deep within_

_Let them know with all you've got_

_That you are not your skin, oh, oh_

_And when they start to judge you_

_Show them your true colors_

_And do unto others_

_As you'd have done to you_

_Just rise above this_

_Kill them with your kindness_

_Ignorance is blindness_

_They're the ones that stand to lose_

_'Cause they don't even know you_

_All they see is scars_

_They don't see the angel_

_Living in your heart_

_Let them find the real you_

_Buried deep within_

_Let them know with all you've got_

_That you are not your skin, oh_

_Well, they don't even know you_

_All they see is scars_

_And they don't see the angels_

_Living in your heart_

_So let them find the real you_

_Buried deep within_

_Let them know with all you've got_

_That you are not, you are not your skin, oh, oh._

"That's an amazing song." I smile and look over at her, only to see tears rolling down her face. "Tris, Tris, what's wrong?" I ask, trying to still pay attention to the road and Chris's car.

She sniffles. "It's just… In high school, everybody thought I was happy because I was popular and pretty, but I hated it. I hated myself. Some of my 'friends' would make fun of me and judge me. Then they'd make fun of others while I just stood there," she sobs, "and I did nothing. I did _nothing. _But they'd make fun of me, while I took it and just laughed it off. I wanted to prove to them that I was good enough for them, and that I was worth something. I was so fake during high school. I hated myself." Another sob. "I still hate myself for never standing up for those other bullied kids."

"Tris. Don't you dare say that. Ever. You are the best human being I have had the pleasure of being in the presence of. You are the girl I'm in love with. Even back in high school." I grab her hand. "You are the best thing in my life."

She sniffles again. "I'm sorry. I'm so dramatic. I don't even believe in crying! What am I doing?" She uses her free hand to wipe away the tears.

"What do you mean you don't believe in crying?" I question.

"Tears are only mean to lubricate the eyes. There's no real reason humans cry at the behest of emotions," she explains.

"But if you don't cry, then you aren't human."

She waves to her blotchy face. "I'm clearly human."

I smile. "I say we turn on some Breaking Benjamin, maybe jam out to some Metallica too."

She nods with a chuckle. "Anything to forget that depressing moment."

About twenty minutes and half of an album later, we arrive at what seems to be the lake house. It's pretty nice. And pretty big, at that. The house looks as if it's about thirty yards away from the shore. There is also a little shed that probably has equipment in it for fun. Most likely canoes or something of the sorts.

"This place is beautiful," Tris says as she turns off the music.

I park and pop the trunk so we can get our things out. Tris quickly grabs her bag and sprints into the house, probably so she can get first dibs on the best room.

I follow, running up the creaky, wooden stairs, and pick the room across from hers.

* * *

><p>Hours later after we get settled in, we gather around the campfire Zeke built on the shore. Chris brought ten bags of marshmallows, ten boxes of graham crackers, and twenty Hershey bars for s'mores.<p>

"We are going to play never have I ever," Chris says with an evil grin. "Except the non-alcoholic version." She glances at Tris. "So, instead of taking a shot when you've done that thing, you'll eat a marshmallow. Sound good?"

Everyone nods.

"Let's get started. Never have I ever… Had a 'No, I love you more' fight," says Chris.

Tris and I take a marshmallow, including Zeke and Shauna.

Next is Will. "Never have I ever watched porn."

Zeke and Uriah eat a marshmallow, and we all laugh, not being surprised at all.

"Never have I ever walked in on my parents," Uriah says.

Tris, Marlene, Zeke, and Shauna all take a marshmallow.

Marlene. "Never have I ever slept with someone within an hour of meeting them."

I eat a marshmallow, sadly enough, and everyone stares at me in shock.

"I know. I hate myself for it. Moving on," I mumble.

Then Uriah. "Never have I ever had sex in the back of a pickup truck."

Tris shamefully takes a marshmallow.

I'm next. "Never have I ever done body shots."

Zeke, Uriah, and, surprisingly, Will.

Next up is Tris. "Never have I ever had wet dream." She chuckles.

Everyone but her eats a marshmallow, including me.

"Are you serious, Trissy?" Chris laughs.

"Whatever. This game is stupid and immature anyway." She gets up and walks back into the house.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Tris, want to go for a stroll on the dock?" I ask after knocking on her bedroom door.<p>

"Sure." She smiles. She puts down her book and gets up off her bed.

We walk out the back door so none of our friends see us and make fun, even though they're probably still on the beach.

"So, how close am I to getting to call you Prior?" I ask with a smirk.

She smiles up at me. "You're pretty damn close." She grabs my hand and entwines them.

I grin. "Good to know. Very good to know, actually."

We approach the dock and stand at the end of it.

"Tobias, when we slept together—god, that came out wrong, but you know what I mean—a few weeks ago, what was going through your head?" She turns her head up toward mine, lips dangerously close, and body pressed against mine.

"Everything. Every emotion. You made my head twist and turn in places I didn't even know existed." I chuckle.

"Why didn't you pull a move?" she asks me quietly.

I smile. "Did you want me to?"

She shrugs, indifferent. "Did you think my feet were actually cold?" She smirks.

I shake my head. "No."

We're breathing to same air, and if I have to take this for another minute, I might explode.

"Tris," I say, "what would you do if I hypothetically asked what would happen if I kissed you?"

"I'd tell you to find out." She shrugs. "Hypothetically."

I ask suggestively, "Do you want all of this to be hypothetical?"

She shakes her head confidently. "No. No, I don't think I do, Tobias."

"What would happen if I kissed you, Tris?" I ask, smirk planted on my face.

She raises her hands and lies them on my chest, while mine wrap around her waist. "Do it and you'll find out."

I lean down and brush my lips against hers, letting myself only do a graze.

I slowly take my head back and look her in the eyes, searching for any disappointment. I find none.

"Tobias, being as hot as you are, I thought you knew how to kiss." She grabs a fistful of my shirt and stands on her tiptoes, fervently kissing me. After minutes, she finally pulls back and smiles.

I raise my eyebrows. "I, um. Wow. Y—"

"Are you going to kiss me or do I need to show you again?" she asks with a smile.

I quickly lean down and kiss her lips again, running my hands through her hair.

She pulls back and says with a chuckles, "Tobias, aren't we supposed just to be friends?"

"Really? Just friends, huh? Do you know how sick and tired I am of that phrase? Do you know how hard it is to act like your buddy when I've been in love with you for years? Anyone can make me smile, but the only person that makes me happy is you. And do you know how hard it is to remain a friend when every time I see you, all I see is everything I want to have? 'Just friends' don't get butterflies in their stomach just by looking at the other like I do. 'Just friends' don't get jealous when the other talks to someone else like I do. 'Just friends' don't hold each other like we are now." She looks down. "'Just friends,'" I say, "don't do this." I lift her chin with my forefinger and gently press my lips to hers. After minutes, I pull back and say, "Sometimes a heart can't afford to be 'just friends.'"

Then suddenly I hear loud, pounding footsteps, trampling on the old wooden dock.

Tris and I almost have enough time to react, but we are soon shoved into the water by multiple pairs of hands, of whom I do not know who they belong to.

I am clinging on to her hand as we descend down to water, about ten feet below us. Soon, I am met with water on me, everywhere, and not missing a single inch.

We rise out of the water in a temper, annoyed at our friends for ruining that moment. Then I look at her and start laughing. Seconds later, I start to see a smile form on her face.

"It's not funny!" she says as she splashes me, all the while laughing, ironically enough.

I take her hand and lead her under the dock so our friends can't see us. They must've lost track of us while they were laughing.

Smiling, I look down at her and cup one of her cheeks. I lean down and kiss her lips for the third time today. Never did I think this would happen once, let alone three times in the past two minutes.

She kisses back and puts a hand on the base of my neck, barely touching the hair that reaches there.

The kiss is slow, but sensual; it lacks ferocity, but this one is actually meaningful. Our last two were somewhere in between, but this seems to pour out all of my emotions to her over the previous eight years. It shows how much I actually care for her.

"Oh my god!" someone yells. Probably was Chris. A scream. Then, a splash.

But neither of us look.

Tris pulls back and leans her forehead on mine. She smiles, provocatively biting her lip.

"No. You can't do that," I say quietly, almost whispering.

"What?" she asks in the same tone.

"Bite your lip. That's evoking me. You're practically begging for me to kiss you again." I smile.

"Well I'm not going to deny myself of that pleasure." She leans up on her tiptoes since we can actually touch the sandy bottom, but we are soon interrupted due to a splash nearby.

"They kissed! Holy shit, they kissed!" Chris yells so our friends can hear. "They were kissing when we pushed them in! Holy fuck, I just ruined everything!"

Tris looks at me, then Chris, then me again. She grabs my hand and we walk to the shore, meeting our friends there, and Christina follows.

"Did you two really kiss?" Shauna asks elatedly.

Shyly, Tris nods.

"Three times, actually," I point out, finger raised in the air.

Tris rolls her eyes.

"I freaking called it!" Zeke shouts. "Uri, gimme that $20!"

"You placed bets on us?" Tris asks incredulously.

"Only Uri and me. He bet Four wouldn't kiss you the entire time we were here."

"So, Four, did you have this whole thing planned out, or what?" Chris asks, wanting details.

"I'm sure Tris will tell you all about it later. But for now…," I trail off and throw Tris over my shoulder as I run to the lake house.

As we enter, I put her down.

"I'm going to go to bed since it's pretty late. Goodnight, Tris." I yawn and wave.

She follows since all of the bedrooms are upstairs, including hers.

"Hey, Tobias," she says as she stands in front of her door. "Do you maybe, um, want to spend the night in my room?" she asks nervously. "You know, _almost_ like old times."

Smiling, I nod. "Let me get some pajamas real quick." I walk into my bedroom and close the door, then silently pump my fists in victory. I stand on the bed and jump up and down, still pumping my fists. I fall back on the bed how one would do a trust fall. I sigh in content even though this the thousandth time I've slept in the same bed as her.

Getting up, I quickly change into my pajamas. Plaid pants and an old t-shirt.

I walk over to my door, opening it, and see Zeke with his fist raised as if he's about to knock, along with Shauna.

"Where you goin', Four?" Shauna asks suggestively, smile crooked and eyebrows raised.

"I was going to say goodnight to Tris," I lie.

"Lies, lies, lies," says Zeke. "You were going to go to bed with her."

"She asked me to!" I defend myself.

"She asked you to?" Shauna asks with shock and a bit of happiness.

I nod. "So if you'll excuse me…," I say, trying to get past them since the block the narrow doorway.

They both step aside, giving me full entrance to my path. I walk into Tris's bedroom since the door is wide open, and I close it behind me. She is already lying in bed with the covers on.

"Turn off the light?" she asks lightly.

I turn it off without a word and climb in bed, her back facing me.

I lay there for minute before deciding to finally say anything. "Hey, Tris?" I ask quietly.

"Hm?" she asks, but she still doesn't turn around and look at me.

"Are your feet cold?"

She finally flips around so we are face to face. She beams with happiness. She scoots over and nuzzles her face into my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her waist and our legs entangle. She moves her head so she can see me and gives me a quick peck on the lips, then resumes her old position.

"Tris, do you remember the day I disappeared?" I ask.

"I'd rather not remember that day," she mumbles.

"Which part?"

"All of it, Tobias," she whispers and pulls her head up beside mine. "I just couldn't realize… something… because we were supposed to just be friends. Because that's what we've always been. Because that's what was expected of us. Because I didn't love you back then like I do now."

Every gear in my mind is turning, twisting, tangling, deforming, contorting into every possible emotion, as if Pandora's box is within me.

"What?" I croak out.

"I'm in love with you, Tobias."

Wasting no time, I pull her closer and kiss her. After minutes of that, she ends up on top of me, straddling my waist. She pulls back, smiling.

I mirror her expression.

Then I say, "Why weren't you hesitant about kissing me the first time?"

"Because right when I felt your lips on mine, I knew that this was different. That this was love. I knew that I couldn't deny the fact that I'm in love with you."

"Does this mean what I think it means?" I ask.

"Yes, Tobias. I'll be your girlfriend." She tucks her hair behind her right ear.

"No, I was talking about me calling you Prior."

She scoffs and rolls off me, burying her nose into my shoulder. "You can call me Prior."

"What happens when we get married?" I ask with a chuckle.

She laughs, though it's muffled by my shirt. "Who says I'm marrying you?"

"Me. If you think you're slipping away from me that easily, you better think again." I pause. "Now go to sleep. It's been a long day." I brush the hair out of her face and put a palm on her cheek.

"I don't think I will," she whispers, "because reality is finally better than my dreams."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_Just so you guys know, there'll probably only be a _**_chapter or two left_**_ after this, then I'll be doing an epilogue. Just a fair warning._

_Thanks for the 20 reviews last chapter, by the way! _

**Tris P.O.V**

My eyes slowly flutter open, expecting to see the wall of my temporary bedroom, but instead am met with Tobias's chest. The wall and his torso are basically the same thing though. Flat and strong. I don't know if he's awake or not. His chin rests above my head on the pillow. I'd guess that he's awake judging by his uneven breathing patterns.

I slowly lift my head and rest against the same pillow as him, noses touching. I know he's awake since he not-so-subtly opens one eyelid, probably to see if I'm awake.

I smile, and he mirrors. Waking up like this… next to the man you're in love with, can really change a girl. It can really change me, because I have a feeling that every time we wake up next to each other, we will fall in love just a little bit more every day.

"I love you," he says.

I just continue smiling and kiss him lightly. After I pull back for a few seconds, I see worry flash in his expression.

"Tobias, d—"

He interrupts me with: "Do you think last night was a mistake?"

No, no, we did not _sleep _with each other. We just simply slept. Nothing else. Well, maybe a little kissing here and there too.

"No, I absolutely do not. You know why?" I ask, but immediately answer my own question. "Because I'm in love with you." But now it's my time to worry. "Do you think it was?"

He quickly shakes his head no. "I certainly don't. If anything, it was the best night of my life."

I breathe out the breath I didn't even realize I was holding. "Okay."

"It's already…" I check my phone. "10:45. You better go back to your room and get ready for the guys' questions." I smile.

"It's okay, I don't mind bragging about the best girlfriend on Earth," he says, smiling.

I get up with him, since I have to go to the bathroom, and open the door only to be confronted by every single one of my friends falling, seeing as they were leaning on the door.

"What all did you guys hear?" Tobias asks quickly.

"Everything, _Tobias_," Chris says.

"Oh god, Four, I'm so—," I begin.

"No, it's fine, _Prior._ It's fine." Then he pushes his way out the door, then seconds later I hear his door slam.

"You idiots!" I yell, not caring if Tobias hears me or not. "Why would you listen in on something like that? We were obviously having private conversation! God, you all are morons, now get the hell out of my room!" I yell, then push them out my door, slamming it.

I let out a frustrated growl, then realize what I'm wearing. A large t-shirt. One that happens to look about the size of Tobias. Mother of god. Not to mention, it doesn't even look like I'm wearing underwear, let alone shorts.

I throw on a pair of jeans and go downstairs, buttoning them as I go. But I can't help but notice how Tobias's door is still closed.

I meet them all in the kitchen and Chris hands me a coffee with a small, sad smile.

"I'm sorry," I say to all of them. "I overreacted. I just don't like it when people violate my personal space and information. I typically tell people voluntarily, even if they try to squeeze it out of me. Just… I'm sorry," I breathe.

Uriah shakes his head. "No. I'm sorry. _We're_ sorry. You guys know that I don't apologize very often, but what we did was wrong. We shouldn't have done that."

"It's okay. Just, still call him Four still, alright?" I ask.

They all nod.

Then Chris says, "So… you're in love with him? And he asked if you regretted what you two did last night…?" she asks suggestively.

"We did not sleep with each other. I mean we slept with each other, but not like that. Just sleep," I clarify.

Chris nods, and then raises one eyebrow. "But you never answered the first question."

"Um, I think Eaton should talk to the guys, and I can talk to the girls. Sound good?"

Zeke says, "Things are about to get juicy!"

I laugh. "I guess you could say that." And with that, I walk out, coffee in hand. I walk upstairs and open my door, but hear a creaky footstep behind me.

I spin around to see Tobias standing there with a sad smile.

"Sorry," he says. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"No, you didn't snap. It's fine, Eaton." I pause. "Maybe I should just call you that now." I smile. He's leaning on the doorway of his room, just across from me, muscles straining as he crosses his arms. But now the distance feels much too far, me also leaning against my doorway.

Tobias slowly steps toward me and grabs my free hand. He kisses it, then kisses my forehead, nose, and finally my mouth.

"I love you," I say.

"Yeah, I already know that though. You've loved me since pre-school. I need to know that you're _in _love with me. They may sound similar, but they have totally different meanings."

"I'm in love with you," I say. "Now can you kiss me?" I ask impatiently.

He laughs and presses his lips to mine firmly. How did I go 23 years without this bliss? He presses me to the doorway. If it were Christmas time, we'd be standing under the mistletoe.

Then I hear a "Get some!" come from Uriah.

I ignore him, and so does Tobias, not wanting to break the kiss. He pushes past the doorway and closes the door with his foot. He then presses me up against the closed door. One of his hands rests on one hip while the other runs through my hair. I wrap my hands around the back of his neck, careful not to spill my coffee. I move one to his cheek and then put my thumb on his lip, interrupting our little session.

"I should probably shower," I whisper breathlessly, biting my lip.

He nods and kisses my forehead one last time, then walks out of my room.

I suddenly start giggling hysterically and jump onto my bed, falling back on the fluffy mattress. I still continue giggling, and I'm not totally sure why. I wear a permanent smile on my face as I get up and grab my clothes for the shower.

I step out into the hallway and see one of the bathrooms is unoccupied right now, so I take it.

Just before I close the door, I hear Chris say accusingly, "What's that big grin about?"

I bite my lip. "Nothing." I slam the door, locking it behind me. This is going to be a long and question filled day.

**Tobias P.O.V.**

"So, you and Tris, eh?" Zee implies. I know all of the guys want to know about it. We sit around on the large L-shaped couch as we drink our coffees.

I shrug. "What about us?"

Uriah rolls his eyes as he comes to sit back down. I guess he had to brush his teeth. "If you won't tell us, we'll force it out of you."

I groan. "You guys know I don't talk about my emotions." I shiver dramatically to make a point. "I'm not a sensitive guy."

"Around Tris you are," says Will with a chuckle. "I'm not going to lie, we all heard what you said to her this morning, and I'm pretty sure that's the—dare I say—Tobias side."

I'm not angry that he used my real name, though. I nod. "It is. In fact that's what she calls it. Prior. She still calls me by my real name, because somehow she still sees the good in me."

"Do you not like that?" Uri asks. "That she calls you by your real name?"

"God no. I love it." I chuckle.

"Why?" Zeke asks. "I thought you hated it."

I shake my head, smiling. "Not when she says it. When she does… it feels different. Like it's the only thing that feels right in this world."

"Easy to find what's wrong, harder to find what's right," I hear a feminine voice say.

I smile. A lyric. A lyric from what happens to be our favorite song.

"Don't you think we need share that fantastical song with our dearest of friends?" Prior implies with a smirk.

"Chris said there's speakers that hook up to bluetooth all over the house. Try that," Will says.

Tris soon hooks it up to the sound system and we're all jamming out to the song, even the girls—excluding Tris—, who only like pop come downstairs to hear it. Tris and I are screaming the lyrics and sloppily ballroom dancing. After it ends, we end up standing there smiling like idiots, and everyone is staring at us as the next song comes on.

While the rest of them are still jamming out to Tris's music, we still stand there, motionless, and in vain.

"Did you hear anything I said? You know, before this?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "I only heard '—that feels right in this world.' Should I be worried?" she asks nervously.

"No, no, not at all."

"Okay. I believe you. I think I'm going to take a walk, alright? Clear my head a little." She smiles.

"Want me to come with?" I ask.

"If you were around, I definitely wouldn't be able to clear my head." She smirks shamelessly.

"Okay, okay, I just get a little worried sometimes, you know? You. Walking in the woods. Alone."

"Tobias," she says quietly, "I'll be fine, alright?"

I nod. "I know, I know, but now you're leaving me here to explain everything." I cackle.

"In love with you." She winks and walks out the door.

I shake my head. I notice she turned off the music once she got outside. She most likely took her earbuds with her.

"Where'd Tris go?" Chris asks.

"For a walk. Have you interrogated her yet?" I ask.

"Did you two already fight or something?" Zeke asks.

"No. This may come as a shock to you, but it's normal that couples don't spend every second of their lives with each other."

We all sit down, and I'm prepared to take any questions they could possibly ask.

"So you didn't… you know," Shauna asks.

"And you just slept?" Zeke asks.

"Did you want to sleep with her? Like, more than sleep?" Chris asks.

"Are the two of you official?" Mar asks.

Before they can ask any further questions, I say, "No, I didn't want to do anything but sleep. Yet. And we didn't do anything else besides kissing. Yes, we are official," I explain. "I am her boyfriend, and she is my girlfriend. Happy?"

Once I say it out loud, it sounds so… concrete, and heartfelt. So real. So real, I can't fight the smile on my face.

"Apparently you are," Uriah comments.

"Yeah, well, you all have someone that makes you happy, and now it's about damn time Four has someone too," Zeke says genuinely as he pats my back.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I wave it off. "You guys know I don't like talking about this kind of stuff."

"Four, why don't you?" Marlene asks.

"What—why don't I like talking about this kind of stuff?"

They nod.

"Because I like keeping my things personal things personal and my private things private. It's just the way I am." I shrug. "So don't ever listen in on Tris and I's conversations ever again, because I won't hesitate to get revenge," I say seriously. "I'll have to start gathering blackmail ahead of time." I smirk.

"Don't worry, he's a cactus. Soft on the inside, prickly on the outside," Shauna says.

I laugh. "She told you about that?"

"Of course she did." She laughs.

"Of course she did," I repeat.

And then a loud, high-pitched shriek comes from outside. One that sounds an awful lot like Tris's.


	11. Chapter 11

**Epilogue**

_Basically in this chapter I'll be going through some moments in their life. Thanks for everything :) A/N will be posted tomorrow._

**Tris P.O.V. **

Just after I shriek, I yell, "Eaton!" I slowly pick up the small dog and cradle it in my arms.

He comes outside quickly, "What—what's wrong?"

The others soon come out, and I hold the puppy so the they can see them. "I found a puppy! There's nothing for miles around here! I'm going to get him something to eat and drink." I quickly carry the small dog inside the house. I set him on the counter and fish out some bread that Chris brought. She brought the basic stuff for sandwiches.

I notice he has no collar on and he's definitely a newborn. Probably a week or two old, if that. The poor thing's parent was probably giving birth to him and his siblings outside, maybe in a yard or something, so he'd easily escape.

Everybody starts coming inside as I pet and feed him.

"Poor thing. Probably stranded for days with nothing to eat," Tobias says as I feed him another piece.

"I know. He was most likely born outside and escaped, so there's no way to track down the family, either."

"What are you going to name him?" Chris asks.

"I was thinking Ollie. You know, short for Oliver?"

"Oh, that's so adorable!" Shauna says.

"Are you going keep him?" Zeke asks.

My light, bright eyes soon dark and sad. I shake my head. "I didn't even think about that. I'm not allowed to have pets in my apartment unless it's, like, a fish or hamster or whatever," I say disappointedly. "I guess I'll have to take him to the pound."

"Nonsense. I'd be glad to keep him," Tobias says. "I've always wanted a beagle, and I was never allowed to have a dog as a kid. Plus you can come visit. I mean you'll be spending a lot more time there anyway, right?" He winks.

"Ugh, no. Not even this dog can make me come over," I say in mock disgust. I can't hold back my smile, so I wink back at him. "But seriously, are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. He already seems like a good dog, not having any discipline or training yet."

I nod and gather him into my arms. "You're name is going to be Ollie. Do you like that?"

He barks.

"Aw," all the girls say, plus Uriah.

"And maybe you'll just have to stop visiting eventually," Zeke says.

"Why would I stop visiting him?" I ask.

"Because one day you'll be moving in with him."

* * *

><p>Turns out, Zeke was right for once. It's three months after the whole camping trip, and today is Thanksgiving.<p>

"My god, Tobias, how have you been here for five months and I haven't seen you until today? Look at you! You look amazing!" my mother says, incredulous, as she pulls him into a hug. "I didn't even know you were here until two days ago when Tris asked me if you could come over today!"

Tobias and I step in all the way into the house, taking off our shoes. Aunts, uncles, cousins, who have all met Tobias, slowly start to recognize him, but don't say anything.

Mom walks back into the kitchen, saying the turkey is almost done.

"Um, does your mom know we're together? Or your dad, for that matter?" Tobias asks quietly.

I don't say anything. "Ah, no, not really."

He angrily laughs. "What, are you ashamed of me or something?"

"God, no, Tobias. I am extremely proud to call you my boyfriend, but I guess they've always expected me to always bring a jerk home, just like high school, and I don't want them to think you've turned into a jerk. I am super proud of you. Hell, I flaunt you." I smirk.

He nods. "You should probably tell them in private. I'll just… go socialize." He kisses my forehead and walks into the living room.

I step into the kitchen where my mother and father are conversing.

"Hi, honey," Dad says. "Where's Tobias?"

"Oh, he's just waiting in the living room," I say nervously.

"Something on your mind, Beatrice?" Mom asks.

I never mind that Mom and Dad call me my real name. They have a right to, and I don't mind it either.

"Well, don't freak out. Seriously. Promise me you won't." I step closer and hop on an open counter space, swinging my legs.

They nod.

"You guys like Tobias, right?"

My mother laughs. "Of course. He's been your best friend since pre-school. He came over at least four times a week."

"Well, you see, we're kind of… uh, dating."

Silence. They are too shocked to say anything.

Finally my father says, "_What_?"

"Well, we're dating," I say more confidently, and beaming.

"Are you serious?" Mom asks, also beaming with joy.

"Wait," Dad says. "You. And Tobias. Tobias Eaton."

"Yeah."

"That means he's turned into a jerk. You only go out with jerks, which angered me back then, by the way. Where is he? Living room?"

"Dad, just stay here and let me explain, alright?" I say.

He slowly and hesitantly nods.

"How long have you two been together?" Mom asks. "When did this happen?"

"Well… four months ago," I mumble.

"Four months?" they exclaim.

"Why on Earth didn't you tell us?" my dad asks.

"I was afraid you'd assume he was a jerk, just like how you did, Dad." I pause. "And I'm in love with him. And… I have a feeling that we aren't just trying this out to see what happens. I think we are both in this for the long run." I smile and run a hand through my hair. "In fact, I kind of sort of just moved in with him yesterday."

At this, they both raise their eyebrows.

"Wow," my mom says.

"Can you go get him?" Dad asks.

I nod and hop off the counter, walking out the door.

"Tobias," I say, waving him over, since he seems to be sitting the awkwardly, not speaking to anyone.

He walks over and smiles. "Yeah?"

"They want to talk to us. Well, my father wants to talk to you, actually." I chuckle.

He's already nervous. He nods. "Okay."

"Hey, you've got nothing to worry about." I place a soft kiss on his lips and entwine our hands.

I pull him into the kitchen, and I can already tell my father is shocked by Tobias's body.

"Wow, Tobias. You look so…," my father trails off.

"Not fat?" he tries to fill in.

"I guess you could say that." Dad chuckles. "So, I heard about you and my daughter. You know she has a reputation for dating jerks, and by being with you, hopefully she's grown out of it," he says, as if I'm not standing right here.

"I hope I'm not a jerk." Tobias chuckles.

"Me too."

"Well, I totally called this one," says my mom. "I thought it'd happen back in high school though."

"Mom…" I shake my head. I grab Tobias's hand, laughing, and pull him out of the kitchen.

We stand outside and around the corner so nobody can see us, and I stand on my tiptoes so my lips reach his.

"What is this?!" I hear Caleb yell.

* * *

><p>"So. Mom. Dad. You never really told us how you met," a now fifteen-year-old Brooklyn says.<p>

"Yeah," Mitchell says, at the age of thirteen.

"Well," I say, "once upon an ancient time, we went to the same pre-school and became best friends."

"Once I was in high school, I realized I was in love with your mother."

"But I didn't know it. We were best friends, and he didn't want to ruin that."

"Plus, I was really fat back then, so I wasn't popular like your beautiful mother."

"But I loved you," I say. "Anyway, the day of our graduation I threw a party, and I found out he was in love with me. He was really upset about the whole thing and was standing beside the roof outside, ready to leave."

"But your mother caught up with me, and then long story short, we got gooped on by a bunch of asshats. Well, _I_ got gooped on, that is."

"Then he left for five years, and the only reason I knew he was alive was because he was on the cover a really famous entrepreneur magazine from back then because he was one of the youngest, most successful businessmen out there."

"Then I came back. After about four weeks, your Aunt Chris rented that lake house we go to every year, and that was when we had our first kiss."

"And also when your mother told me she was in love with me. While we were kissing, your aunts and uncles pushed us into the lake, so that was fun," Tobias says, laughing.

"So that's why we go there every year still, and that's why we kiss in the same exact spot every time. That was actually where I found Ollie." Sadly, Ollie died a year ago of old age, so we got a new pug named Jane, after the song "Diary of Jane" that Tobias and I absolutely love.

"Okay, seriously, that totally sounds like it came out of a book," Brooklyn says.

"So you got friendzoned for, like, years?" Mitchell asks.

"How do you know what the friendzone is?" Tobias asks.

My son laughs. "Because I'm in it."

I pull up our conjoined hands. "There's still time and a chance." I chuckle.

He raises an eyebrow. "I'm not marrying her."

Tobias leans forward. "That's what I said."

Mitchell shakes his head.

"You know," Brooklyn says, "it's almost disgusting how you two are still in love after 17 years of marriage." But then, with a smile, "I hope I'm as lucky as you, Mom." Then with that, Brooklyn walks upstairs to her bedroom.

Tobias and I smile at each other.

"You two are about to kiss, and I don't need to see that, so I'll be going to my room," Mitchell says, already running upstairs.

Tobias immediately kisses me once we hear his door shut, and I run my hands through his hair, which somehow he still has. One of my palms lies on his cheek, and he rests his hands on my hips underneath my shirt. I push him down onto the couch so he's lying down, and he grabs my waist, pulling me toward him. I turn and see him so we are face to face. I kiss him one last time on the side of his mouth lazily and nuzzle my face into his shoulder.

"In love with you," I say.

"In love with you too."


End file.
